Stranded With You
by CrueFan21
Summary: Fueled with revenge, Hans kidnaps Anna and plans to hold her for ransom in exchange for Elsa handing the kingdom of Arendelle over to him. But fate has other plans. While sailing back to the Southern Isles, they are hit by a violent storm, and left stranded on a desert island. Now the two must face the dangerous environments, and work together, if they're going to survive.
1. Chapter 1

Stranded With You

 **Hey there!** **As the summary says, this is a story about Hans's attempted revenge backfiring six ways to Sunday. He and Anna will be stranded on a dangerous, deserted island for most of the story, trying to survive the harsh environments, and of course, each other. It will really explore the relationship between the two characters, and delve into Hans's background more, showing that there is a reason for his wickedness, deeper than imagined.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Since the Great Thaw, Anna had been doing many things she always dreamed of doing, but never had the chance because the gates were always closed. It was hard to believe that a year ago, she was talking to paintings as a way to pass the time, and now she was ice staking, fishing, swimming, and enjoying the days with her sister.

Thirteen years of separation from each other had definitely taken a toll on the both of them, but Anna and Elsa believed that they shouldn't dwell on the past, and instead look to the future, and make new memories. That is just what they did. Every day, Elsa made time to spend with Anna. Like the days of their childhood, their friendship was alive again, and even stronger than before. To make things even better, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven made for quite the exciting life. No longer did Anna have to be by herself. She was surrounded by those who loved her more than anything, and that in itself was a blessing.

One afternoon, Anna and Elsa were visiting Kristoff in his cabin near the Arendelle village. He was playing them an original song he had written on his lute. Anna smiled warmly as she watched the ice harvester gently strum the strings with his fingers, creating a sweet melody in the process. Along with his passion for ice, Kristoff was also really into music. He told Anna and Elsa that for many years, he only played for Sven and his troll family. They were among the first humans to hear his work. Truth be told, he didn't think he was very good, but Anna and Elsa thought otherwise.

"You're really talented," Elsa commented, after Kristoff finished playing.

"Definitely one of the best musicians I've ever seen," Anna added.

Kristoff blushed. He wasn't used to getting so many compliments. "Thanks. It's just a hobby though," he said.

"You should turn pro," Anna said.

"Nah, my passion for ice is much stronger," the mountain man said, gesturing to his sleigh outside.

"You're not the only one," Anna said, smiling at Elsa. "Ice is definitely at the center of her life."

Elsa laughed. "It wasn't something I chose, you know. Ice chose me."

"And that's what's so cool about it," Anna said. "No pun intended."

The three began to laugh, amused by Anna's comment.

"Hey! What should we do tomorrow?" Anna asked, her eyes widening in anticipation.

"How about we go fishing, or skip rocks down by the pier, or go on a boat ride! Yeah that's it! Let's go on a boat ride!"

"I'd love to Anna, but I'm really busy tomorrow. I have three meetings with the council, plus I need to figure out what I'm going to do about the new schoolhouse I'm having built."

Anna frowned. These days her sister never missed an opportunity to spend time with her, but she understood nevertheless. Elsa was queen after all, and duty comes first unfortunately.

"Ok. What about you, Kristoff? Would you like to join me?"

"I wish I could, Anna, but I got tons of deliveries to make tomorrow. It's going to take me all day to get through them. Maybe some other time."

"But it won't be fun without you two!" Anna whined. "Please, come with me!"

Elsa slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Anna, but we have things to do. You can still go if you want. I'll tell Captain Samuel to have one of the boats ready by tomorrow morning."

"Oh alright," Anna sighed. "I guess I could ask Olaf to come with me. I know how much he likes boats."

Elsa smiled. "That's a good idea. You should ask him when we get back to the palace. Speaking of which, we should be there now. It's almost dinner time."

The two said their goodbyes to Kristoff and Sven, and made their way back to Arendelle castle.

As they approached the gates, Elsa put her arm around her sister, and pulled her close. "You know I'd rather spend the day with you than listen to a bunch of people bicker back and forth all day. But you got to do what you got to do sometimes. Tell you what, how about you and I go to the theatre together sometime later this week! I heard that "Hamlet" is being performed by the Arendelle Thespians."

Anna smiled. She loved the theatre, and going with Elsa was when she enjoyed it the most.

"Sounds great. I can't wait."

"Excellent. Then it's a date. Now let's go get something to eat! I hear the chefs have prepared chocolate cake this evening!"

* * *

Finally, today was the day. The last day of Hans's punishment. Ever since he returned to the Southern Isles a year ago, his father and older brothers had been severely punishing him for his despicable actions in Arendelle. Every day, he was required to do some laborious task such as cleaning the horses' stalls, washing the dishes, tending the grounds, feeding the livestock, or harvesting the kingdom's crops. Hans had destestd every bit of it. To think that he, a prince of the Southern Isles, was shoveling manure was an outrage. Even if what he did was wrong, he still didn't deserve this treatment. But after today it would be over, and he would finally be free to do as he pleased.

Since he left Arendelle, Hans had not once stopped thinking about Princess Anna. It amazed him that she was willing to die just to save her sister who ignored her for half of her life. It didn't make any sense. Moreover, he was furious that she was the one who foiled his plans to begin with. She was literally on the brink of death, and still she managed to save the day. How infuriating! He should have made sure she was dead before he attempted to kill Queen Elsa. But none of that mattered now.

The Eternal Winter was over, Anna and Elsa were together, and he was back home suffering the consequences. Still, the thought of it all ate away at Hans's mind. To think that someone as naïve, and happy-go-lucky as Anna defeated him was beyond infuriating. Arendelle was literally right in his grasp, and then she had to step in and take it away from him.

He finished washing several goblets, and placed them back into the cupboard. They would be the last things he would clean as part of his punishment. Hans then left the kitchen, and returned to his father's chambers where he informed him that he had completely the necessary tasks. Han's father, Karl, was pleased and dismissed his son shortly after.

With the day already at an end, Hans retired to his room, and sat at his desk. One year he had been suffering for his failure, one year that shouldn't have happened, but because of Princess Anna, it did. He realized now that he had been too careless in his plans to claim Arendelle. He needed a more rational plan, one that had no flaws, and could easily hand him the throne.

Hans thought for a minute about what he could do. Since he returned to the Southern Isles, he had been forbidden to take out any of the ships. Now that his punishment was over, he was free to go wherever he liked, with the exception of Arendelle of course. But that didn't matter. As prince of the Southern Isles, he had command over the ship's captain and crew. He could easily persuade them into taking him to Arendelle and helping him with his plan. And if they still refused, he would offer them loads in money, more than they ever dreamed of. After all, money was the perfect negotiator.

As part of his new plan to take Arendelle, Hans knew that the relationship between Anna and Elsa was key. The two were more than just sisters, they were best friends! Anna meant the world to Elsa, and she would do anything keep her safe, even if it meant giving up her kingdom!

The plan was simple, but brilliant nonetheless. He would kidnap Anna, hold her hostage at the Southern Isles, and threaten to kill her unless Elsa's steps down from the throne. Knowing Elsa's strong attachment to Anna, she would comply no questions asked. After he had secured the throne for himself, he would kill both of them to make sure that they would never interfere with him again. And as for his father and brothers, let them try to stop him. If he had too, he would crush them just like he would Anna and Elsa. He smiled, and removed several large bags of gold coins from under his desk. He hid them in his blazer and made his way to the shipyard. Captain Uric and his crew were in for a real treat.

* * *

 **Sorry it's short, but it's really just an introduction chapter. More will come later, I promise. Anna and Hans's relationship will really be explored in this story.**

 **Reviews** **are greatly appreciated! :)**


	2. The Hijacking

Chapter 2:

The Hijacking

* * *

" _Mommy, what does responsibility mean?" Hans asked. The eight year old boy was always asking questions; his curiosity had no limits._

" _Responsibility means having the duty to do something, and upholding all that it requires you to do. For instance, your father and I have a responsibility to this kingdom. We're expected to rule fairly, help our people, and protect them from harm" Han's mother, Aubrey, said._

" _Wow! That sounds like a lot of work!"_

 _Aubrey smiled. "Yes, it is a lot of work, but we do it because it is our duty. When you get older, you too will have responsibilities as well."_

" _Like what? I'll never be king," Hans asked._

" _You'll be responsible for being a good prince, and setting a good example of the Southern Isles. Just because you won't wear the crown, doesn't mean you're free to do as you please. You have to make choices that benefit the entire country, not just yourself. You have to put other's needs before your own."_

" _I can do that!" Hans cried. "I love helping people! Yesterday I helped daddy with his letters! I signed each one with the Southern Isles seal."_

 _Aubrey laughed, and pulled her son close. "Yes, you are a very selfless person, Hans. Don't ever change that."_

Hans instantly woke from his sleep. He was perplexed as to why he would be having a flashback about his childhood, especially one that was so long ago. After getting dressed for the day, Hans excited his cabin and joined Captain Ulric and the rest of the crew on the main deck. They had set sail late last night while everyone was still asleep.

Not surprisingly, Captain Ulric was reluctant to grant Han's wish, especially since it was so diabolical. But when Hans showed him the amount of money he would pay him and his crew if they did as he wished, the Captain's demeanor quickly changed. Despite holding a high rank, Captain Ulric wasn't a very rich man nor were any of his crew members. With the amount of money that Hans was willing to pay them, his life would be forever changed for the better. He accepted, and listened as Hans described his plan. They were to sail to Arendelle, and arrive late in the night. Once they docked at the harbor, they would sneak into the palace and kidnap Princess Anna. Hans planned to leave a letter, detailing his ransom.

They would then wait on the boat until morning when Queen Elsa found the letter, and learned what had happened to her sister. With their rifles and crossbows loaded, Han's crew would be ready to fight, should anybody from Arendelle try to stop them. Once she saw the danger her sister was in, she would instantly surrender the kingdom. And then, once he had the crown to himself, he would kill Anna and Elsa, forever ending any chance of them reclaiming their kingdom.

As they sailed toward Arendelle, Hans stood on the bow of the ship looking off into the horizon. In a few hours, he would be a prince no more. He would be king; the king that he always wanted to be.

* * *

Just as she promised, Elsa talked to Captain Samuel about Anna wanting to take one of the ships out to sea. The captain was happy to oblige, and had one of his finest ships, _Friendship_ , readied for sailing. Even though she was still sad that Elsa and Kristoff couldn't accompany her, she was glad that Olaf agreed to come along. The snowman was an interesting character, and never failed to amuse Anna. They were sure to have a good time together. That morning, Elsa went down to the docks to see Anna and Olaf off. Kristoff had unfortunately already set off on his delivery route, but he told Elsa to give Anna and Olaf his regards nonetheless.

"Have fun," Elsa said. "But don't do anything crazy like climb up to the crow's nest."

Anna smiled. "Relax, Elsa, I'm just going to enjoy a nice day at sea with my good buddy, Olaf."

"Yeah, Elsa! The sea is wonderful! So mysterious and yet so beautiful!" Olaf said.

Elsa laughed. "Take care now. I'll be here when you return."

The two sisters hugged each other for a good minute, before finally breaking apart. Anna and Olaf were then escorted by Captain Samuel onto the ship. They stood at the bow and waved to Elsa as the ship sailed out of the harbor and into the horizon. When they were out of sight, the Snow Queen walked back to the palace to begin the first of many meetings.

* * *

Anna and Olaf spent most of their time out on the deck, watching the boat coast through the waters. Every now and then, they would see several fish swimming in the water. Olaf wanted to jump in and catch the fish, but Anna told them that that probably wasn't a good idea with him being made of snow and all. Around noon, Captain Samuel had the chefs bring up lunch from the galley.

The entire crew, along with Anna and Olaf, sat out on the deck enjoying a meal of sandwiches, fruit, and lemonade. They all enjoyed each other's company, listening to Captain Samuel tell tales about his many years at sea, and watching Olaf dance and sing in what he called his own "ship entertainment." After lunch, Anna decided to settle down for a quick nap. In the meantime, Captain Samuel was instructed to keep sailing for a few more hours before they returned to Arendelle. It was very peaceful at sea, and the princess liked being out on the water. She went into her cabin, and laid back on the one the beds, quickly drifting off into a deep slumber.

* * *

Meanwhile, as the ship from the Southern Isles drew closer towards Arendelle, Hans was informed of a ship in the distance. He told Captain Ulric and the rest of the crew that he didn't care about it, that they were to just keep on sailing, and let the ship pass. But Ulric insisted that Hans come and check the ship out for himself.

"Alright, what is it?" he asked, taking the binoculars from Captain Ulric. He aimed the device towards the approaching ship, and immediately saw the Arendelle seal implanted on the bow. This particular ship was very different from the other ships he had seen in Arendelle. This ship wasn't a battleship or a trade ship, it looked much fancier, like something you would use to go on a cruise of some sort. It looked really well-made, truly fit for a king…or a princess. Hans knew that there was no way Queen Elsa would let just anyone take such a beautiful ship like that out to sea. There had to be a reason why it was here, and there was only one reason Hans could think: the royal sisters must be having themselves a little boat ride. But why would Elsa be out to sea when she had so many other things to take care of back at Arendelle? No. She wouldn't. Her royal duties would certainly prevent her from taking a day off just for her sister. She must still be back at Arendelle, and Princess Anna must be aboard the ship instead.

It would appear that his plan would be much easier than anticipated. Without any cannons, the ship had no way to defend itself. Hans and his crew could easily overpower them, and kidnap Anna. It was perfect.

"Captain Ulric, make full sail for that ship!" Hans ordered. "There's been a change of plans. We're taking the princess now!"

* * *

Captain Samuel kept the ship on a steady course towards the east. He planned to keep her sailing for about another hour or so, and then would head back to Arendelle. When he saw a large ship appear on the horizon, he retrieved his binoculars and aimed them at it. Right away, he could tell what kind of ship it was, an unsettling feeling formed in his stomach. That was a Southern Isle ship approaching in the distance. He was well aware of the grim history between the two kingdoms, especially after what Prince Hans had tried to do. Queen Elsa made it very clear to him, and the rest of Arendelle's fleet, that she wanted nothing to do with anyone from the Southern Isles. One man's actions had caused enough pain and heartache to last a lifetime, so it was best that they avoid them at all cost.

"Go port thirty degrees," Captain Samuel ordered to one of his men. "We're going to head back to Arendelle earlier than planned."

The man obeyed the captain, and steered the ship left, turning it in the opposite direction. Captain Ulric noticed this, and so did Hans.

"They're turning around," he said in anger. "Get the speed up to 21 knots." I and four other men are going to take a skiff out, and board the ship."

Captain Ulric nodded. He increased the speed just as Hans commanded, while the young prince and several crew members loaded their gear onto the skiff, hopped aboard, and lowered it down into the water. The men all brought their guns with them to use if necessary. Even Hans himself brought along a pistol just in case. Once they were in the water, one of men, Anton, who was well-known for his rowing abilities began to row out towards _Friendship_.

* * *

Up high in the crow's nest as Arendelle's ship began its journey home, a crew member spotted the skiff approaching their vessel. He quickly called down to the captain.

"Captain Samuel, there is a skiff quickly approaching!"

Captain Samuel pointed his binoculars in the direction where the crewman was pointing, and saw what he feared. Five men, armed with rifles, approaching the vessel at full speed. One of the men was dressed significantly different from the others. He wore a blue blazer with a white button up shirt. His hair was slicked back, and he had distinctive sideburns. Captain Samuel knew instantly who this was.

"Go starboard fifty degrees!" he yelled. "We're going to try to shake them."

Meanwhile, Anton rowed as fast as he could; His arms were like two sails blowing in the wind. As they got closer to the vessel, Hans pulled the pistol from his pocket. He was relieved to see that the ship had no cannons. Therefore it had no way to defend itself. "Get ready men," he said. "We'll be climbing aboard shortly."

Captain Samuel watched in horror as the skiff came closer and closer. They were only a few miles away now, and would be here any second. He cursed himself for not bringing any weapons aboard. If Hans and his men boarded the ship, they would have no way to defend themselves. They would be at the prince's mercy.

"Port fifty degrees!" he yelled. It was the best he could do. Without any weapons, it was their only hope of getting the skiff off them. Anton was quick with the oars, and every turn _Friendship_ made, he followed right behind. Finally, Hans could see a clear view of the Arendelle crest as well as Captain Samuel who was standing at the bow. He aimed his pistol at the captain and fired a single shot. Captain Samuel hit the deck, narrowly avoiding a bullet.

"Wake Princess Anna!" he yelled. "Get to her safety. As for the rest of you, find someplace to hide. I'll deal with them."

Hans and the four men swerved around the ship and came up the starboard side. Anton stopped rowing and he and the others lifted a long ladder up to the ship. Captain Samuel saw what they were trying to do, and quickly steered the ship port thirty degrees. It did little good, the men were soon beside the ship again, trying to hook on the ladder. Captain Samuel gave another hard a port, but it was too late. They had managed to hook the ladder onto the ship, and were coming aboard.

Anna was instantly awoken from her nap by loud yelling. When she stood up, her door flew open and two crew members rushed inside.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Hans and his men from the Southern Isles are attempting to board the ship," one man explained. "We need to get you to safety now."

Anna's eyes widened. There was no way this could be happening. She had beaten Hans, he was back home at the Southern Isles, suffering for his actions. Elsa assured her that there was no way he could ever hurt them again. This wasn't real.

"Come on, Princess Anna!" We need to hide!"

"Where's Olaf?" Anna asked, looking around for the snowman.

"He's down in the galley with the rest of the crew, Your Highness. Now please, let's go!"

The man took Anna's hand and led her out onto the deck. They started to run towards the stairs when they heard a gunshot from behind them. Anna turned around and saw one of the crew member's shirt fill with blood. He placed a hand on his chest where he had been hit, and applied pressure to it, but it was no use. The bullet had struck his heart. The man fell down face first onto the deck, blood flowing out of his chest like a river. Anna and the other crew member looked on in horror as Hans and four men stood with their guns pointed toward them. Hans smiled as he looked the princess dead in the eye.

"Well hello, Anna," he said. "Long time no see."

* * *

 **It's a cliffhanger, but the next chapter will be up soon. Also, the flashback that occurred at the beginning of the chapter is the first of many to follow. These will give insight into Hans past, and show what led him to become who he is today. His relationship with his mother will also play an important role as well.**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	3. Rough Seas

**Chapter 3:**

 **Rough Seas**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Well hello, Anna," Hans said. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, not long enough," Anna spat.

"By the way, I never got the chance to tell you, but you throw a mean punch," he said, gesturing to his face.

"Thanks, would you like another one?"

"Haha. You're definitely a lot more confident than you used to be. But I'm afraid confidence will do you little good here. As you can see, we clearly have you outnumbered."

"Restrain the princess," Hans ordered two of his men.

The two crew members walked over and seized Anna by the arms. The princess struggled against the two men's grip, going as far to kick one of them. Hans drew his pistol and fired a single shot into the air.

"Quit struggling, Anna, you're only making it harder on yourself."

"I can assure you, Hans that whatever dastardly scheme you have conducted, is certain to fail. Once Elsa finds out what you're doing, she'll freeze you from the inside out."

Hans smiled. "As long as you're in my grasp, my dear, Elsa wouldn't dare touch me. Take her to the skiff, row back to the ship. I'll be there momentarily."

The two men led Anna towards the bow. Upon arriving, Anna was horrified at what she saw before her. Captain Samuel lay on the deck with blood flowing out of him; he had been shot directly in the head. "You all are sick!" Anna spat. "By the time my sister gets through with you, you won't be able to see straight."

One of the men kneed Anna in the stomach, causing her to lean forward in pain. "I would strongly suggest you shut your mouth, beautiful, if you know what's good for you."

Anna gritted her teeth, holding back the anger she felt towards the men touching her. They got into the skiff, and rowed back to the ship. When they arrived, Anna was escorted downstairs, and thrown into a ship compartment. Her hands were bound with rope behind her back, her ankles were tied together, and a gag was placed in her mouth.

"Now you just sit there quietly, and Hans will be here shortly," one of the men said.

The men shut the door behind them, leaving Anna alone to contemplate all that was happening. There was no way Hans was going to get away with this. As soon as Elsa found out that she was kidnapped, she'd send Arendelle's entire army to rescue her. And this time, she would personally see to it that Hans could never hurt her or her sister ever again.

* * *

Back on Arendelle's ship, Hans had the remaining crew members lined up in front of him. The men were terrified; they had seen what Hans had done to their captain, and they knew they were next.

"Well, I have some good news for you, gentlemen. You will not be dying today. On the contrary, you will be returning to your home in Arendelle. There you will give the following message to Queen Elsa. Tell her, that I am keeping her sister as my prisoner for the time being. I will release her if she hands the kingdom of Arendelle over to me, but not until then. Have a nice day," he said, flashing a wicked smile.

Captain Ulric had brought the boat up beside _Friendship_ , and Hans and the rest of his men got aboard. They then set sail back to the Southern Isles. As they sailed away from the ship they just hijacked, Hans couldn't stop smiling.

Meanwhile, downstairs on the ship, Anna looked around for anything sharp she could use to cut away her binding. She looked at the other side of the room and saw a piece of protruding metal with a jagged edge. That would work perfectly! But just as she started to scoot across the floor, she heard the door swing open. Turning her head, she saw the last person on earth she wanted to see.

"Comfy?" Hans asked, teasingly. "Oh I forgot, you can't talk with the gag in your mouth. Here let me get that!" The prince removed the gag from Anna's mouth and stuffed it in his shirt pocket.

"Screw you!" Anna spat.

"Now, Anna, remember what I said, don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"What do you want with me, Hans?"

"I think you know the answer to that one," Hans said, smiling.

"The kingdom of Arendelle of course!"

"Bingo. And as you can see I've come up with a much more strategic plan this time around. Once Elsa learns that I have you as my prisoner, she'll do anything I tell her to do. After all, the last thing she would want is for harm to come to her dear sister. So in exchange for handing you over safe and sound, she steps down from the throne, and hands Arendelle to me. If not, then I'm afraid she'll have to live longer without seeing her sister," he said, gestering to his pistol.

"You're a wicked man!" Anna cried. "How can you live with yourself?"

"Simple, Anna. It's a dog eat dog world, and only the strongest survive. I am one of those strong people, and you are one of the weak ones. I'm only doing the best I can to survive in this world."

"Since when is kidnaping people, and blackmailing queens "doing the best?" Anna shot back.

Hans shook his head. There was no point in trying to convince her. He knelt down and stuffed the gag back into her mouth.

"We'll talk later," he said. "By the time we get back to the Southern Isles, you'll have a nice, cozy room of your own…in the dungeons of course. Goodbye, Anna."

Hans opened the door and slammed it shut. He didn't bother to lock it, knowing full well that Anna would never be able to escape from her bindings. He went back onto the deck and immediately checked on Captain Ulric. He noticed that the captain was steering the ship in another direction.

"Captain Ulric, what is the meaning of this? I instructed you to head back to the Southern Isles!" Hans cried in disbelief.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, there is a storm approaching, and the Southern Isles is still several hours away. I figured that we should stop at the nearest kingdom, Labraza, for the evening, until the storm passes. It's only a few minutes away."

"I beg your pardon, but who is the prince here, Captain Ulric?" Hans asked, leaning towards the ship captain.

"You are, Prince Hans," the captain replied.

"And who is paying you for your services?"

"That would be you as well, Prince Hans."

"Exactly. And If I recall correctly, you agreed to do whatever I say, whenever I say. Now unless you want to keep your earnings as well as your job title, I suggest you turn the ship around, and head to the Southern Isles!" Hans screamed in Ulric's face.

"Yes, Your Highness. As you wish."

The captain instructed his crew to turn the ship around for the Southern Isles. The crew were very reluctant to do so, even going as far as to ask Captain Ulric if he was sure of himself.

"It's what Prince Hans wants," he simply said.

Not long after they changed their course for the Southern Isles, dark clouds began to appear in the sky. Hans ignored this, and once again ordered Ulric to keep heading towards the Southern Isles. A loud boom roared across the sky, startling the men aboard the ship. One of the crew members went out onto the deck, and saw a flash of lightening in the sky. He raced back to Captain Ulric and reported what he had seen. "Sir, I've just seen lightening!"

Captain Ulric was afraid this would happen, but they were already too far away from the kingdom of Labraza to turn back now, so he decided that it was best to keep sailing for the Southern Isles as Hans commanded. More thunder and lightning came, followed by a downpour of heavy rain.

Hans was in his cabin at the time taking a nap, before they reached the homeland. He was awoken by the loud, booming sound of thunder. The prince put on his boots and went to find Captain Ulric. Outside, the wind was blowing fast, and the rain poured down hard. By the time he made it to the helm, Captain Ulric was barking orders left and right.

"Get those sails down at once! Turn hard a starboard! For God's sake, someone batten down the hatches!

"Captain Ulric, what's going on?"

"We're in the middle of a storm for god sakes!" Captain Ulric yelled. "I told you that it was too dangerous to continue home!" Now we're in trouble!"

"I don't care, it's just a storm, we'll ride it out!"

"Prince Hans, your arrogance is going to get us all killed!"

Hans grabbed Ulric by the collar and brought him close to his face. "I make the orders around here!" he snarled. "Now just get us home!"

Meanwhile, down in one of the ship's compartments, Anna felt the ship rock back and forth violently. She couldn't imagine what was happening, but it probably wasn't good. She had to get out of here fast. Scooting across the floor toward the protruding metal with the jagged edge, Anna turned so her back faced the sharp edge.

She set her bound wrists against it, and started to rub fiercely, trying to wear away the rope. It took much longer, and required a lot more energy than she thought, but Anna eventually managed to cut through the rope, freeing her hands in the process.

She then pulled out the gag and began to untie the rope around her ankles. It didn't take as long as it did to free her hands, and Anna's feet were soon free as well. She stood up, and crept quietly towards the door. Placing an ear against it, she listened for any sounds nearby. All she could hear was the sound of something loud and booming, but no voices of any of the crew members.

Anna slowly opened the door, and crept outside, being sure to look all around her before making her way up to the deck. Truthfully, she had no idea what she was going to do once she got free, she was really just making it all up as she went along. Suddenly, another loud boom rang throughout the ship, and a bolt of lightning struck the deck, causing a fire to form instantly.

Hans and Ulric saw the fire as soon as it formed, and both started shouting orders to the crew. The storm was getting stronger now, waves were rocking the ship back and forth. As quickly as it formed, the fire started to spread toward the helm. Hans and Ulric ran towards the end of the ship, narrowly avoiding the blaze.

Meanwhile, Anna had finally made her way up to the deck, and saw exactly what was going on. The ship was on fire! And it was spreading quickly! All around her, flames crawled toward her; she could feel the heat as they grew closer and closer. Knowing that there wasn't a moment to lose, Anna ran towards the starboard side of the ship, trying to get as far away from the blaze as she could.

When she got there, she spotted the skiff that Hans's men had put her in earlier that day. That was it! She could escape with that! The wind started to pick up, blowing the ship back and forth. As Anna made her way toward the skiff, she heard a loud cracking sound.

Looking up, she saw one of the ship's masts falling down towards her. The princess quickly jumped as far as she could, narrowly avoiding the impact of the mast. The wind was furious, making it hard for Anna to walk straight. By the time she made it to the skiff, the small boat was swinging violently. She climbed inside, and started to lower the boat. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure emerge through the wind and rain. It was Hans!

He glared menacingly at Anna as she pulled with all her might to lower the boat faster. But even in the midst of a violent storm, Hans was quick, and grabbed ahold of the skiff, shaking it violently.

"There's no escape, Anna!" he cried. "Storm or no storm, you're mine!"

Hans grabbed ahold of the reins, and jumped into the skiff, but Anna wasn't going to go down so easily. She threw as hard of a punch as she could, hitting Hans right in the mouth. The prince snarled, and grabbed Anna by the neck, forcing her to the bottom of the skiff.

His hands gripped tight around her neck, quickly cutting off circulation. Anna curled her legs back, and started to kick Hans as hard as she could, but the prince didn't flinch. Anna struggled hard to hold onto the last bit of air she had left in her lungs. This was it. If the storm didn't kill her, Hans certainly would. Suddenly, a large waved formed over the starboard side, crashing violently into the ship, and sending Hans and Anna skyward. The two fell down and quickly hit the water hard.

Anna slowly regained consciousness, and started to swim as fast as she could. The waves were getting stronger, she could feel them pulling her left and right. When she emerged from the water, she looked around, hoping to find something she could use to flout on. Nearby, she saw a large box drift pass. The princess dug her fingernails into it, holding onto it with all her might.

The rain continued to pour, and the waves continued to thrash everywhere, but Anna held tight to the box, not daring to let go for a second. She then closed her eyes, and started to pray, before darkness finally took over.

* * *

 **Next chapter will begin Anna and Han's life together on the island. Also, I haven't' forgotten about Elsa and Kristoff. They too will play a role in this story, and will appear in the next chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews so far, I greatly appreciate it!**


	4. Where Are We?

Chapter 4:

Where Are We?

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 _Hans sat in his room playing with his toys one afternoon. He was all alone at the moment, something that rarely happened. Usually, his older brothers were always in the way, but not today, it was just him and his toys. As he moved his toy boat across the floor, pretending it was actually sailing on water, Hans narrated what was happening. "The SS Moonstone is sailing through dangerous waters," he began. "Many sailors who have dared to venture here have never returned, but Captain Hans wasn't afraid, he can conquer anything that comes his way."_

 _Just then, the door to his room flew open, and his eldest brother Richard came running in. Though all of his brothers picked on him, Richard was by far the worst. Next in line for the throne, Richard had a strong sense of entitlement about him, thinking that just because he was heir, he was blessed with certain privileges. He enjoyed tormenting Hans, and Hans hated him for it. When the eight year old boy saw his older brother running toward him, he quickly hid his toy boat behind him._

" _Hey there little brother, what do you have there?" he asked teasingly._

" _Nothing, Richard. Go away," Hans stated firmly._

" _That's no way to talk to your older brother, especially the crown prince of the Southern Isles," Richard said, tousling Hans's hair. "I think you need to learn a little respect."_

 _Before he could reply, Richard tackled Hans to the floor, and pinned his arms down. Hans thrashed about as much as he could, but it was no use; Richard was much stronger than him._

" _Guess what's next?" Richard asked, smiling menacingly._

" _No, not the waterfall!" Hans cried._

" _Oh yes, the waterfall." Richard opened his mouth and spat directly on Hans's face, covering him in salvia._

" _That's disgusting!" Hans cried. He could feel his brother's spit drip down his cheek._

" _There's more where that came from," Richard said a matter- of-factly. "Just give me a minute."_

 _As he was reeling his head back to hurl another spitball in Hans's face, Queen Aubrey walked into the room._

" _Richard! What do you think you are doing? Get off your brother at once!" she cried. Richard immediately obeyed, and released Hans from his grasp. He stood up, and put on a phony gentleman persona._

" _I'm sorry, mother. I didn't mean to get so rough."_

" _Oh stop it. You know perfectly well what you were doing. Go to room now, I'll speak to your father about this later."_

" _Yes ma'am," Richard replied, hanging his head low._

 _When the eldest prince left, Aubrey pulled Hans close, and wiped the salvia off his face._

" _He can be a real pain sometimes, can't he?" she asked._

" _More like all the time," Hans said. "I hate him so much."_

" _Now Hans, even though its wrong for Richard to pick on you, he's still your brother. You shouldn't hate family."_

" _But he's always picking on me, him and the rest of them!" Hans protested._

" _That happens when you're the youngest in the family I'm afraid," Aubrey admitted. "I should know. I was the youngest in my family. My siblings used to pick on me all the time. And as annoying as it was, I never stopped loving them because of it. Family is important Hans. They're the people who will always care for you, even if they don't always show it. Deep down Richard loves you very much. Just like daddy and I do. She kissed Hans on the cheek, and smiled at him. The young prince smiled in return. His mother always knew what to say to cheer him up; he didn't know what he'd do without her._

* * *

When Hans awoke, he was met with a vision of sand, lots of sand, and the sound of the tides brushing up on the shore. He had no idea how long he had been out; the last thing he remembered was being thrown off the skiff into the sea. He slowly sat up and looked around him. Sand covered most of the area, and the tides pulled in and out on the shore. In front of him, was a large group of plants and trees, which seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. A huge mountain of rocks lay behind it, towering high above him. Hans had never seen something so big before in all his life, it looked like a giant staring down at him. When he turned around, he saw the sea for the first time in a while. However, he didn't see any sight of land, other than the one he was on, anywhere.

He started to walk down the beach, looking around to see if there was anybody else nearby. As he walked further, he saw an oddly shaped object lying on the beach in front of him. It looked like a human body! Hans started to run towards it, hoping beyond hope that the person was alive. When he got there, he was surprised to find out who the person was. It was Princess Anna, lying face down in the sand. The braids from her hair had fallen out, and her dress was wet, and torn in various places. On her face were small bruises, most likely received from the storm.

Hans reached out a hand and gently shook Anna's head.

"Anna, are you OK?"

Just as he hoped, the princess's slowly began to open her eyes, still very groggy from what she had just endured. It took her a minute to process who was talking to her, but when she did, her instincts kicked in. Anna bolted upward, and punched Hans right in the face, sending him flat on his back.

"Get away from me!" Anna screamed. She started to run in the opposite direction, hoping to get as far away from this dastardly man as possible. Hans quickly got back on his feet, and ran after her. He was much faster than the princess, and quickly caught up with her. He grabbed her by the arms, and restrained her.

"Calm down, it's just me," he said.

"I know who it is! I'm trying to get away from you!" Anna cried, trying her hardest to escape Hans's tight grip.

"Well, I don't think you'll get very far, considering this seems to be the only piece of land for miles," Hans said, confessing what he feared.

"Liar! I'm not falling for your tricks anymore!" Anna cried. She kicked Hans as hard as she could in the groin, causing the prince to release her. Anna took this opportunity to make her escape, running straight for the forest that was situated on the island. When the pain finally receded, Hans stood up and looked around. It was just as he feared, the storm had left them stranded on a desert island.

He walked up and down the entire beach, looking for any other survivors, but found none. Along the way, he found several items from his ship that had washed up on shore. Hans dragged the items inland and placed them down under a shade of trees. He would worry about Anna later, right now he had to assess their situation. The storm had destroyed the ship, killing everyone else on board, and leaving him and Anna stranded on this island that he had never seen before. The prince had a hard time processing all that was happening: everything was going according to plan, he thought to himself.

He had Anna and they were sailing back to the Southern Isles, when out of nowhere a storm hit. Now they were stuck in God knows where without any food, gear, or a ship to escape the island on. Was this God's way of punishing him for what he had done? If so, then why did he let Anna live as well? Well, there goes my chance of claiming the kingdom of Arendelle, he thought. He was so damn close too.

Hans looked over the items he had collected on the beach. There was a captain's logbook, filled with Captain Ulric's handwriting, a handbag that must have belonged to one of the crew members, and a hunting knife. In addition to these items, Hans was surprised to have found his pistol. He was even more surprised to find that I t still had several rounds in it. Maybe he could use it to hunt for something to eat later.

The sun was beating down hard, Hans was glad that the trees were there to provide shade. Nevertheless, he took off his blazer, and threw it on the ground, there was no need for it in this heat. After a minute of fixing his outfit for the weather, Hans began to think about what to do next.

"First things first, I need to find Anna," he said. The princess couldn't have gotten too far, and besides, there was nowhere she could go. Even though Hans still deeply despised Anna, he knew that the more help he had, the better chance he had of surviving.

Putting his pistol in his pocket, he entered the forest where he'd last seen Anna run into. "You can run, but you can't hide," he said to himself.

* * *

Anna had been running for quite some time now. Though she was tired, she knew she had to keep running. Hans was bound to follow her, and she wanted to get as far away from him as humanly possible. There was no way what he said was true. There had to civilization on this island somewhere.

"Hello! Is anybody out there! I need help!" she cried.

Maybe she would find someone like Kristoff to help her navigate through this place. Whoever she found, Anna would be grateful as long as it wasn't Hans. That wicked man," she said to herself. "It's because of him that I'm in this mess. I swear, once I get out of here, I'm going to personally see to it that he never bothers anyone ever again." If leaving her to die of a frozen heart was bad enough, the man had the audacity to actually kidnap her, and blackmail Elsa! He was a terrible man, and needed to be brought to justice!

But now she had a bigger problem: finding a way out of this place. As she walked through the forest, frequently shouting for help, she saw that the island was filled with many different fruits such as bananas, berries, and even pineapples!

"Well, at least I won't starve," she said. Anna walked over to one of the trees containing bananas. They were up high in the canopy, so she would have to do some serious climbing if she wanted to get them. But the princess didn't mind. She was very hungry, and couldn't remember the last time she ate. As she wrapped her arms around the tree, and started to pull herself up, she heard a shuffling noise from behind her. Anna let go of the tree, and slowly turned around. There she could see the bushes moving ever so slightly. Please don't be Hans, she thought to herself. The bushes continued to move, making Anna more frightened than ever.

She started to back up slowly, hoping to get away without drawing attention to herself. As she backed up slowly, she didn't see a stick in the path, and accidently stepped on it, causing a loud crack to ring out. Suddenly, a large cat like animal jumped out of the pushes and landed right in front of her, growling fiercely. Anna was paralyzed with fear, she had never seen such a ferocious looking animal before. It had large razor sharp teeth, and was practically the size of a human being!

Anna started to run, but she was no match for the creature. Instantly, the creature pounced on her, pinning her down hard to the ground. Anna tried fighting the creature off with her fists, but the beast didn't seem to feel her blows. As Anna raised a fist to hit the creature again on the nose, it bit her arm, sinking its teeth deep into her flesh. Anna screamed in agony as the cat like creature started to thrash about madly, trying to tear off pieces of meat.

Anna could see the blood trickling down her arm, covering it entirely in red liquid. She focused hard to ignore the agonizing pain, and tried hitting the creature with her other arm. The beast continued to pull at her arm, its teeth sinking deeper and deeper. Anna knew that this was it for her; there's no way she could pry this beast off of her. She was going to die, no question about it. Closing her eyes, and gritting her teeth together, Anna prepared for the worst.

As the beast started to tug again at her arm, Anna heard a loud shot ring out. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the beast had stopped pulling. A dull, listless look was in its eyes as it stared back at Anna. Finally, it let go of her arm, and collapsed on the ground beside her. Anna looked up, and saw Hans standing there with a pistol in hand. She looked at the wild animal that had attacked her, and saw a large bullet hole in its head.

Hans rushed over to Anna's side, and gently examined her arm. "We need to stop the bleeding fast," he said.

"Leave me alone!" Anna said, through gritted teeth.

"Anna, do you want to bleed to death?" Hans asked.

"It's better than being with you!" she snarled.

Hans ignored her, and quickly tore off a large part of his white shirt, and wrapped it around Anna's arm. The princess screamed the moment the prince touched her flesh, tears poured from eyes like rainfall. The pain was unbearable.

"It's alright, this will stop the bleeding," Hans assured her. "Can you walk?"

Anna nodded, still crying from the pain that the beast had inflicted upon her.

"Good. Now let's get back to the beach. We'll go wash the wound out in the water."

As the two made their way back to the beach, Anna began to feel dizzy. She had already lost a lot of blood from the attack, and wasn't sure she was going to make it. Eventually, it became too much for her to walk, and Hans had to carry her. "Just keep applying pressure on the wound," he said. "We'll be there soon."

When they arrived at the beach, Hans placed Anna down under the trees to rest, while he went to get some water. He returned with a small cup full of it (the cup was in the handbag that he found earlier). He slowly poured the water over the large wound, causing Anna to flinch in pain. He then ripped off another piece of his shirt, and wiped away the blood. Finally, he tied what remained of his shirt around her arm to use as a makeshift bandage. He had done all he could, now the rest was up to fate. Would Anna survive or not? He didn't know, only time would tell.

A few hours later, after having fallen asleep from exhaustion, Anna awoke to see Hans standing over her.

"How's your arm?" he asked.

Anna looked at her right arm to see that it was wrapped in a thick layer of white cloth, stained with blood. "It still hurts like hell!" she said.

"I figured as much," Hans said, taking a seat across from her. "That was pretty foolish of you to go off on your own like that."

"I can take care of myself," Anna spat.

"Clearly," Hans said, looking at Anna's bandaged arm. "You're lucky that cougar didn't tear your whole arm off."

"Is that what that was?"

"Yep. And you're also lucky I happened to stumble upon you when I did, and that I had a pistol on me."

He pulled the gun from his pocket and showed it to Anna. The princess's rage instantly flared up again.

"So what are you going to do now, kill me?" she asked, her eyes glaring at Hans.

"Kill you? No, no. I would never do that."

"Bullshit. You left me to die of a frozen heart!"

That was then, this is now," Hans explained. "I don't know if you have figured this out yet, but we're stranded here. This is appears to be the only piece of land for miles and miles around. Before I came looking for you, I did a thorough search of the beach, and didn't find any other survivors. Looks like we're the only ones here."

Anna groaned. Out of all the people she could have been stranded with, it had to be her mortal enemy. Hans should have just let the cougar eat her, then she wouldn't have to put up with him.

"Do me a favor, Hans, shoot me in the head," Anna said. "Put me out of my misery, please!"

Hans smiled, chuckling at Anna's request. "Anna, as much as I hate you, I can't bring myself to do that. Besides, I need your help if we're going to get off this island."

"I'd rather die than help a monster like you," Anna spat.

"Well, if it wasn't for this monster, you would be torn to shreds right now," Hans said earnestly. "I think you should show a little gratitude."

"Go to hell!"

"Have it your way, Anna, but don't expect me to feed and take care of you. You want to be on your own, so be it. I'm just telling you that if you want to get off this island, you got to work with me" Hans said, giving another wicked smile.

The prince then left Anna on her to think about what had just occurred. She looked at her arm again, and saw that the bleeding had finally stopped. It would still take a while to heal, but that in itself was a good sign. As much as she hated Hans, she had to admit that if he hadn't shown up when he did, she would be dead right now. But still, the thought of working with Hans sickened her to her very core. This is the same man who left her to die, the man who tried to murder Elsa, the man who kidnapped her, this man was the cause of more misery than anything else in her life. He didn't deserve her help, if anything, he deserved to spend the rest of his life on this island. But Anna thought about Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf back in Arendelle. She wanted so badly to see them again, especially Elsa. She had just reunited with her sister after thirteen years of being separated from her; and wasn't about to let any more pass by.

As deep as Anna's hatred for Hans was, her love for her sister and her kingdom was stronger. She would put aside her animosity towards Hans for the time being, and work with the wretched man to find a way off this island. It wouldn't be pleasant and she dreaded it dearly, but to see her sister again, it would be worth it.

* * *

 **And so Anna and Hans begin their life together on the island. Next chapter will focus on Elsa and Kristoff back home, before returning to Anna and Hans. I want to focus on both parties. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, more will come soon. Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! Keep them coming! I love hearing your thoughts.**


	5. Doing the Best

Chapter 5

Doing the Best

 **Hey there,**

 **I thought that in addition to writing about Elsa and Kristoff in this chapter, I thought I'd touch a little more on how Anna and Hans are doing. You all seemed to really enjoy their interactions in the last chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Elsa sat at her desk filling out paperwork late in the evening. Anna and Olaf should have been back now, but so far she had received no word of their return. They had spent the whole day at sea, and it was already dark out, what could they possibly be doing. She tried to focus on the paperwork in an attempt to take her mind off it, but so far her worrying had yet to cease. Suddenly, the door to her study burst open, startling Elsa. When she turned around, she saw a man running toward her, shouting her name.

"Queen Elsa, something terrible has happened!" the man said. Elsa's felt her heart drop. She had a feeling it had something to do with Anna.

"Slow down, Thomas, what is it?" she said, trying to hide the anxiety in her voice.

"Princess Anna has been kidnapped by Prince Hans!" Thomas cried.

Elsa's eyes widened in horror, and ice began to form on the walls. Elsa fought hard to contain her composure, but the revelation was just too much to bear.

"What?" was all she could manage to say.

"We were sailing across the sea when we were approached by a vessel from the Southern Isles. Before we could do anything, Hans and several men snuck up on us in a skiff, and boarded the boat. They murdered Captain Samuel, and held the rest of the crew hostage. Hans then ordered his men to take Anna back to the boat, and they all sailed back to the Southern Isles."

Tears started to form in Elsa's eyes. Her sister was being held at the mercy of the same madman who tried to murder her and steal the kingdom. He was back for revenge. Time was of the essence, and Elsa knew she had to act now before Anna got hurt.

"Round of the rest of your crew. Pack the ship full of as many rifles and crossbows as you can. I will be joining you shortly. We're going to the Southern Isles."

Thomas did as he was told, while Elsa tracked down Kristoff and informed him of the situation. The mountain man was horrified. "I'll kill that son of a bitch!" he cried.

"Calm down, I'm furious too, but we can't do anything rash. Hans might hurt Anna if we do."

"So what are we going to do?" Kristoff asked.

"I'm preparing a voyage to the Southern Isles this afternoon. You and I will go there and speak to King Daniel. Once we inform him of his son's actions, he'll take care of it."

"Yeah, but what if he doesn't?" Kristoff asked. "What if he's just as twisted as his son is?"

"I doubt he will be. After the Great Thaw, he wrote me a long letter apologizing for Hans's actions. He expressed great disappointment in him. I think he'll be on our side."

Kristoff nodded. "Alright, but I'm still a little hesitant about this. I say we attack them head on."

"That's a cause for war, Kristoff, and that's the last thing we need. All I want is for Anna to be returned safe and sound."

"You know what he's going to ask in exchange for her, right?" Kristoff asked directly.

Elsa frowned. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "Yes, I do. I know he wants the kingdom of Arendelle, but I'm not going to give it to him. We both know that once he has what he wants, he won't fulfill his part of the deal. We're going to resolve this peacefully, and without conflict."

Kristoff nodded. He was still unsure about all of this. He knew what Hans was like, and he wasn't the type to go down without a fight. But Elsa was the queen so he had to go along with what she had planned. After making sure everything was in order, Elsa and Kristoff boarded the ship that was to set sail for the Southern Isles. Elsa instructed Kai to look after things while they were gone. She had no idea when they would return, but hopefully soon. As the ship left the fjord, Kristoff noticed Elsa standing at the bow of the ship with a look of determination on her face. The ice harvester stood beside her.

"You should get some rest," he suggested. "It'll be quite a while before we get there."

"How can I rest when my sister is in danger?" Elsa asked. "The mere thought of that monster touching her boils my blood. If he hurts her, I'll make sure he pays."

Kristoff was surprised by the menacing tone of Elsa's voice. He had never heard her talk this way before.

"We'll get her back, Elsa," he said, putting a hand on the Snow Queen's shoulder. "I promise."

* * *

 _One afternoon, King Daniel decided to take Hans hunting with him. Hans was surprised when his father asked him to come along. Normally he took one of his older brothers. But King Daniel insisted upon it, especially since Hans had never shot a rifle before, and it was high time that he did so. King Daniel was known throughout the kingdom for being an excellent marksman. His talent with a rifle stretched back to when he was a young boy._

 _When his first son Richard was born, King Daniel vowed to teach his son how to be a great marksman as well. Since then, almost all of his sons showed great interest in learning how to hunt, but Hans did not. He said he didn't like guns, and he really hated the idea of killing an animal. Because of this, King Daniel looked down upon him, considering him to be a sissy. But after much thought, King Daniel decided that no son of his was going to wuss out on something that made him a true man. So there they were that afternoon, rifles in hand, walking through the forest. They had been walking for quite some time when Hans finally spoke._

" _Can we go back now?" We haven't seen anything."_

" _Shut up, boy, and be patient!" King Daniel scolded._

 _Hans acquiesced, and continued to look around the woods for an animal to hunt. He hoped that they didn't find anything today, because he really didn't want to kill an animal. The only reason he came out here was because his father made him. Hans would much rather be back at the castle, playing chess with his mother. That was something he excelled in._

 _Suddenly King Daniel stopped walking, and put a hand on Hans's shoulder. He pointed in front of him. There in the clearing was a deer, eating some grass._

" _That's it, Hans. You have a clear shot at him. Now, remember what I told you: keep the rifle steady, aim high, and don't take your eye off the target."_

 _Hans lifted his rifle to his shoulder, and aimed it directly at the deer in front of him. The creature didn't seem to notice him, it continued to eat the grass, completely unawhere at what was happening._

" _Now, pull the trigger!" King Daniel whispered._

 _Hans stood still, the rifle was still pressed against his shoulder, and his finger was on the trigger, but he didn't pull it._

 _Hans looked at the deer, thinking about the pain it would be in once it was hit. He couldn't bear to see any animal in pain, especially if he was the one who caused it. This deer was a living thing just like anybody else. It didn't deserve to die. This was wrong._

 _Hans lowered the rifle, and looked at his father. "I can't do it," he said._

" _What do you mean? You have a perfect angle on the damn thing, just pull the trigger!" he whispered fiercely._

" _I don't want too. It's wrong to kill animals."_

" _Wrong? It's the circle of life, you stupid boy. You kill to survive. And if you can't understand that, then you truly aren't fit to be a prince."_

 _Hans hung his head low; once again he had disappointed his father. "Let me show you how it's done," his father said, aiming his own rifle at the deer. Before Hans could protest, Daniel had pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, and hit the deer straight in the stomach. Hans watched in horror as the creature fell to the forest floor, blood seeping out of its wound._

" _Now, let's go claim our prize," Daniel sneered. The two walked over to the deer, where they discovered that it was still alive, but just barely._

" _Sometimes this happens unfortunately," Daniel said. "So now we have to put it out of its misery."_

 _He pulled a large hunting knife from his pocket, and handed it to Hans._

" _Slit its throat, and let's call it a day."_

 _Hans looked at the knife in his hands. The blade was long and sharp, easily capable of cutting through the toughest of material. What was his father thinking? If he didn't want to shoot the deer, what made him think he'd like to slaughter it in cold blood? Hans handed the knife back to his father, but didn't say a word. His father stared at him in disbelief._

" _You're pathetic," he said. Daniel knelt down and quickly plunged the knife into the deer's throat, and slid it across. In an instant, it was dead._

" _As a ruler you have to show no mercy," Daniel said, wiping the blood off his knife. "This deer is the enemy. It gets into our gardens and ruins our crops, we must take no pity on it, no matter what. No mercy. That's what makes a true ruler. Apparently this is something you have yet to learn. At this rate, I doubt you ever will."_

Anna might have agreed to work with Hans, but she definitely wasn't happy about it, nor did she show it either. The princess continued to act hostile towards the man, even when he was truly trying to help. One day, Anna decided she was going to write a message in the sand so that a passing ship would see it and come rescue them. Hans thought this idea was pointless, and didn't hesitate to tell her so.

"It's not going to work. No one is going to see something like that miles and miles away on a ship. Unless they have the eyes of a hawk," he explained.

"Shut up, Hans!" Anna retorted. "At least I'm thinking of ways to get off this island. All you do is walk around all day."

"I'm gathering food, and supplies to help us!" Hans exclaimed. "Remember that I was the one who found that nice cave for us to stay in."

A few days ago, while Hans was exploring the other side of the beach, he came open a cave large enough for someone to crawl into and walk around. He and Anna had decided to make this their sleeping quarters for the time being. Together they gathered large leaves from the trees on the island to use as blankets in case they got cold in the night. Unfortunately, without any pillows they didn't get a real pleasant night of sleep. But it would have to do for now.

They were fortunate that there were lots of different fruits on the island to eat. The two collected many bananas, oranges, berries, and pineapple to eat. In addition, they also found a huge supply of coconuts, which contained water to drink. It got old having the same things every day, but they would take whatever they could get.

Anna made it abundantly clear that Hans was not sleeping anywhere near her. The princess still didn't trust the prince, and wanted to keep a relatively safe distance from him while she slept. Hans agreed, he knew there was no point in arguing with Anna.

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way. Did I tell you how comfortable it is to lay my head on a rock all night long? It's wonderful!" Anna said sarcastically.

"I'm going the best I can, cut me some slack," Hans complained.

Anna ignored him and continued to bicker. "How's that fire coming along by the way?" she asked, a smug look on her face.

"I'm…working on it," Han replied. The prince was currently in the process of rubbing two sticks together.

"I figured as much. You couldn't start a fire even if you had a box of matches with you."

"I said I'm working on it, OK!" Hans cried. "Stop your bitching."

Anna picked up a rock and threw it at Hans. The object made perfect contact, and hit him directly on the head.

"Ow! Did you really have to do that?" he asked.

Anna smiled. "No, but it felt good anyway."

She turned around and started to write her message in the sand. Earlier she had found a large stick in the woods. It was the perfect tool to write her message. Anna placed the stick in the sand, and slowly wrote the first letter. She wrote as big and wide as she could so people could see it, even from far away. When she finished she stepped back to admire her work. The message wrote: H.E.L.P. The princess was pleased with herself.

"Now, tell me a ship won't see that!" she said to Hans.

Hans turned around and looked at her handiwork. He chuckled, amused at Anna's carelessness.

"What's so damn funny?" Anna spat.

"You wrote it way too close to the shore. The tides are going to wash it away," Hans explaining, trying to hold back his laughter.

"What are you talking about, it's perfect!" Anna said, pointing at the large letters written in sand. Just then, the tide came in and washed away the letters, just as Hans predicted.

Anna frowned, and glared up at Hans, who was smiling at what had just happened.

"Oh shut up!" she said. "At least I'm trying."

"Sure you are, Anna. Hey, I have something that you could do," Hans said. "How would you like to go hunting with me?"

"I'd rather eat sand," Anna replied.

"Come on, you said yourself that you were tired of eating fruit and wanted something else to eat. I have five rounds left in my pistol, let's use them to go hunt something."

"How about you do that, and I'll stay here and hold down the fort," Anna said.

"Come on, it's easy, I'll show you."

Anna reluctantly agreed to accompany Hans on his little hunting trip. Truthfully, she had never liked the sport of hunting. She thought it was cruel to kill animals in such a way, even if they did provide meat. But she was tired of eating fruit, and could use something new to eat. As the two walked through the forest, Hans held tight to his pistol, ready to shoot at the first thing he saw that moved. Anna kept a fair distance behind him. She didn't want to be anywhere near him when he fired his gun, who knew what could happen? The bullet could miss and hit a tree, and then ricochet back and hit her. Moreover, she didn't like guns either. They had been walking for over an hour when suddenly Hans signaled Anna to stop walking.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Be quiet!" Hans hissed.

"Don't you tell me what to…"

Hans placed a hand over her mouth, and hissed the same warning as before. "Be quiet, please!"

Anna yanked his hand off of her mouth, then spat on the ground. His palm was so sweaty, that sweat had actually gotten into her mouth.

"Come here," Hans said, gesturing toward himself.

Anna really didn't want to do it, but remembering what she had agreed to do, she complied. Hans pointed in the distance to an animal standing on a rock. It was a boar!

Hans cocked the pistol, and handed it to Anna. The princess stared at him in disbelief.

"You got to be joking," she huffed.

"I'm serious," Hans said firmly. "You said you wanted something different to eat, here's your chance."

"Yes, but why can't you kill it?" Anna asked.

"Because I want to see you earn it," Hans said, smiling.

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" If you think that I've shot a gun before in my life, then you are dumber than I thought you were. I grew up in a palace, I never even saw a gun, much less shoot one!"

"Well, there's a first for everything," Hans pointed out. "Come on, it's easy, I'll show you.

He positioned the pistol in Anna's hands, and moved her fingers around so that she was holding it correctly. The princess hated the fact that he was touching her, but there was no point in stopping him now, he was already on a roll.

"Now, aim the barrel of the gun directly at that boar," he said.

"What's a barrel?" Anna asked.

Hans sighed. She really did live a sheltered life.

"The barrel is the part of a gun where the bullet is shot from. It's this long piece of metal, here," he said pointing to it.

"Oh."

"Now once you're aimed at your target, just pull the trigger, and the bullet will do the rest."

Anna held the gun tight in her hands. Her right index finger was wrapped around the trigger just as Hans had showed her. All she had to do was pull back, and it would fire. The princess looked at the boar who was still standing on the rock, minding his own business.

Anna really wanted to eat some meat, but having to kill for it with her own hands was just too much to bear. She had never killed anything before in her life, princesses don't kill things! But if was all in the name of survival then it couldn't be so bad.

She gripped the gun tighter, and wrapped her finger on the trigger. Just as she was about to pull it, she saw two more boars approach, except these were much smaller than the other one. Anna quickly realized that the boar she was going to kill was their mother. Instantly all thoughts of food vanished from her mind, and Anna lowered the gun.

"What are you doing? Take the shot!" Hans hissed.

"I'm not going to kill her," Anna said, tears falling from her eyes. "That's their mother, they need her."

"Oh for God's Sake, Anna! It's just a stupid pig!"

"That doesn't matter, it's still a living creature just like us."

Hans had lost his patience. He grabbed the gun from Anna's hands, and fired two shots at the mother boar. Both bullets made contact, and the boar fell down on the rock.

Hans put the pistol back in his pocket, and turned to Anna. "There, now you have your meat," he snarled. "Enjoy!"

"Hans, how could you!" Anna cried. The princess watched as the two baby boars gathered around their mother's lifeless body, wondering why she wasn't getting up.

"Now they have no mother to take care of them!" Anna said.

"Big deal, they'll get used to it," Hans said.

"Get used to it? Hans, they're so young, they need their mother!"

"Anna, I've had enough of your bitching for one day, OK? Now get over here and help me carry this thing back to camp."

"How can you be so heartless?" Anna said, the words coming out slow and fierce.

"It's called being tough, Anna. Showing no mercy, no matter what. Something you obviously don't understand."

Anna shook her head in disgust. Getting along with Hans was going to be a lot harder than she thought, especially dealing with his cruelty streak.

"Carry it back yourself!" she spat, turning around and heading back to the beach.

Hans watched as the princess vanished into the trees, leaving him to care for the freshly killed boar.

"Pathetic," he muttered.

* * *

 **Please Review!**


	6. King Daniel

Chapter 6:

King Daniel

* * *

One morning, King Daniel sat in his study looking over various maps of Europe. He had not heard a word from Hans in over a day, which worried him greatly. Hans had already done enough damage to the Southern Isles reputation with his little scheme in Arendelle, now who knows what he could be doing?

"I knew I should have kept a better eye on him," King Daniel muttered to himself. "That boy is nothing but trouble."

Just then, the doors to his study flew open and one of the servants came rushing in.

"King Daniel, the Queen of Arendelle is here to see you," he said.

King Daniel looked surprised. "What? Why has Queen Elsa come here unannounced?" he demanded.

"She says it has something to do with Hans," the servant replied.

Not wasting another second, King Daniel stormed out of his study, and made his way down to the throne room where Queen Elsa was waiting. He was eager to speak with her; maybe she knew where Hans was. Maybe she could provide some answers.

Upon entering the throne room, he was met with an angry glare from Queen Elsa, along with a tall man with blonde hair standing beside her. King Daniel did his best to roll out the welcome wagon.

"Queen Elsa, what brings you to the Southern Isles?" he asked.

But Elsa was in no mood for idle chit chat. "Where is my sister?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Cut the crap, and answer the question!" Where is my sister?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me, but I really don't know what you're talking about?"

"Like father, like son," Elsa chuckled. "I should have known."

"Queen Elsa, what is this all about?"

"Are you aware of what your youngest son has been up to in the past few days?" Elsa asked.

"I'm afraid not. We haven't' heard a word from Hans for a while now. We're starting to get concerned."

"So you wouldn't know anything about a recent kidnapping?"

King Daniel looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Elsa fought to contain her composure. She thought it would be easy dealing with King Daniel, but upon seeing him the Snow Queen was fueled with rage.

"I'm talking about you son, Hans, kidnapping my sister!" she yelled. Icicles started to grow from the ceiling and the ground; and the room became extremely cold.

"Elsa, calm down," Kristoff whispered to the queen. "You're only making things worse."

Elsa listened to the ice harvester, dissolving the icicles with a swish of her hand. She took a deep breath and continued to speak.

"My men have told me, that Prince Hans has kidnapped Princess Anna. We believe that he has done so because he plans on holding her for ransom in exchange for the kingdom of Arendelle. Given our history together, it's no surprise that Hans would try and do something like this. We also believe that Hans has returned home, and is hiding somewhere in the kingdom. Perhaps, his father is helping him."

King Daniel grew serious. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Queen Elsa, I assure you that I know nothing about a kidnapping, but if what you say is true, then I will see to it that Hans is punished severely for his actions. However, we truly don't know where he is. Apparently he took one of our ships out one evening, and hasn't returned. I've sent letters to various kingdoms asking if they had seen him, but none of them have. I was actually planning on writing to Arendelle as well before you arrived."

Elsa could tell that King Daniel was telling the truth. He seemed very distraught at what he was hearing. She sincerely doubted he had anything to do with Hans' plans.

"Very well, King Daniel. "But my sister is still missing, and I'm not going to stop searching until I find her," Elsa vowed.

"I understand that, and I give you my condolences. When we find Hans I promise you that I will personally see to it, that he is beaten to within an inch of his life. It's something I should have done many years ago, but my stupid wife was always in the way."

Elsa was shocked at the way King Daniel spoke about Hans. Sure, he had done some terrible things, but King Daniel acted as if he didn't love his son. To be honest, it was kind of disturbing.

"I appreciate your concern, King Daniel, but you don't need to do that to Hans. All I want is for Anna to be returned safely, and Hans never to interfere with our lives again."

"Oh he'll never interfere with your lives again, Queen Elsa, I can promise you that," King Daniel said in a menacing tone of voice.

"That boy has been nothing but a disappointment since day one. I told Aubrey that she should have had an abortion when she was pregnant with him, but she didn't listen. I told her that thirteen was an unlucky number, and that the baby was bound to be trouble for us. And what do you know, I was right!"

Elsa fought to control her temper, which was slowly rising. Despite all the things that Hans did, she couldn't help but feel disgusted at the way King Daniel talked about his son.

"King Daniel, I am here because I want to find my sister, not to hear your opinion on your son" she said.

"You want my opinion? My son is an idiot, a waste of life, something that should have never existed. That's my opinion!"

"Well, I can see where Hans gets his personality from," Elsa quipped.

King Daniel bared his teeth in rage. Elsa had definitely crossed the line with that comment.

"Let me tell you something, Queen Elsa. Hans will NEVER be anything like me. He's not even worthy to breathe the same air as me. As far as I'm concerned, I'm being generous just letting him live here."

Before Elsa could reply, the doors to the throne room opened, and Elsa turned to see a much younger man approaching them. He looked a little like Hans, except that he had a full goatee.

"Father, I came as soon as I heard, what's going on?"

King Daniel's demeanor instantly changed; he became much friendlier.

"Nothing, Richard, just two monarchs catching up on old times," he lied.

Richard looked at Queen Elsa, his mouth agape, and eyes widening in awe. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

"Queen Elsa, it is an honor to finally meet you," he said, getting down on his knees and taking Elsa's hand. "I'm truly sorry for all the trouble my idiot brother has caused, I hope this doesn't prevent us from becoming friends."

He kissed Elsa on the hand, causing the Snow Queen to pull back in disgust. Nevertheless, she retained her calm, polite demeanor. "Of course it doesn't, Prince Richard," she said. "As a matter of fact, we were just talking about your brother."

Richard stood up and looked at his father. "Have they found him yet?" he asked.

"No. But apparently we know what he's been up too."

Elsa explained the situation to Richard as best as she could. The eldest prince looked furious when he heard what his youngest brother had done.

"That son of a bitch!" he screamed. "I'll kill him, I swear to God I will kill him!"

Elsa looked alarmed. If Richard was hoping to make a good first impression with her, he had certainly ruined it with this little outburst.

"Calm down, Richard. All I want is for Anna to be safe," Elsa reassured.

"Yes, I do as well," the prince said. "But we don't know where Hans is."

"We'll search all the nearby kingdoms," King Daniel suggested. "I bet you anything that he is hiding out there somewhere. Don't worry, Queen Elsa, we'll find your sister, and punish the monster responsible for this heinous crime."

"Thank you, King Daniel. I'll send several of my own ships out to search. I trust you will do the same?"

"Of course, Your Highness. Men, prepare several vessels for departure. We're going to search every nook and cranny of this continent if we have too. Hans has ruined the name of this great kingdom for the last time," King Daniel ordered.

The men left the throne room, leaving King Daniel, Elsa, Kristoff, and Richard behind.

"You're welcome to stay the evening if you like, Your Highness," King Daniel said. "I'll have a room prepared for you and your friend."

Elsa shook her head, not wanting to spend another minute in this place. "No thank you, King Daniel. I plan on taking part in the search for Anna. Sleep is the last thing on my mind."

"Very well. I wish you good luck," King Daniel said, giving a slight bow in respect.

Once they left the throne room, Kristoff spoke for the first time in a while. "Do you think he's telling the truth?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, I do," Elsa replied. "The way he talked about Hans was very disturbing. It's as if he hates him."

"I don't blame him," Kristoff said. "The guy is a monster."

"Nobody is born evil, Kristoff," Elsa explained. "There are outside factors that contribute into making a person who they are. I think we just met one of those factors."

* * *

 **Wise words indeed. Nobody is born evil. There's always something that makes a person who they are. More flashbacks will come later, and show other things that molded Hans into the man he is today. Thank you all for the reviews so far! They mean a lot to me. For those of you who are following, but haven't left a review yet, let me know what you think!**


	7. A Planted Seed Will Grow

Chapter 7:

A Planted Seed Will Grow

* * *

 _The Southern Isles was throwing a ball one evening, celebrating the anniversary of King Daniel and Queen Aubrey's marriage. The king and queen went out of their way to make sure that this was one party no one would ever forget. Hans was especially looking forward to the event; his loved parties, and at this particular one someone special would be there. Princess Ruby of Labraza would be in attendance, and Hans couldn't be happier._ _he twelve year old had known Ruby for two years now, after his father opened up a trading agreement with the kingdom of Labraza. Princess Ruby was an amazing girl, beautiful as well as intelligent. She was two years older than Hans, but that didn't matter. The two shared a passion for reading, and often exchanged letters recommending various novels to read._

 _Hans kept every one of these letters. He had read them numerous times, falling more in love each time he did so. Tonight, he was going to confess how he felt about her. He had the evening all planned out in his head. He was going to dance a little with her (He was quite the dancer) get her drink, go out on the balcony and talk for a while, and then once the moment arrived, he would profess his love for her. Hans was sure that Ruby felt the same way about him. The way she acted whenever she was around him, the things she wrote in her letters, all heavily implied that Ruby loved Hans in return. That evening, as Hans was finishing getting dressed for the party, his older brother Edward came into his room unannounced. He saw Hans smiling at himself in the mirror, with a red rose in his suit pocket._

" _Well, someone must be feeling good tonight," he said._

 _Hans gave him a quick smile, before turning back to look in the mirror. "I sure am. Princess Ruby is coming tonight, and I'm excited. I'm going to do it. I'm going to finally tell her how I feel."_

 _Edward was well aware of the crush Hans had on Princess Ruby, and quite frankly, he thought it was ridiculous. Why should someone as beautiful as Ruby settle for someone like Hans when there were much better men out there. Men such as himself. After all, he was more of a man than Hans ever would be._

" _Well, best of luck to you, little bro," Edward said, giving Hans a pat on the back. "I'll see you downstairs."_

 _When Hans arrived at the ballroom, the party was already in full swing. He looked around the room for Ruby, politely passing through many nobles in the process. He finally spotted her talking to a nobleman from the Northern Isles. He smiled, and walked over to her._

" _Hello, Ruby!" he said cheerfully._

 _Ruby's eyes lit up when she who it was that greeted her. "Hans! It's so good to see you," she said, giving the young prince a hug._

" _Would you like to dance?" he asked._

" _I would love too!"_

 _Hans gently took Ruby by the hand and led her to the center of the dancefloor. The band had just started playing a slow song when they arrived. Hans placed one hand on Ruby's waist, and the other in one of her hands. The two moved swiftly to the beat, following the one, two, three rhythm._

 _As they danced, the crowd looked on, admiring the two. "They make a cute couple," said one woman. However, not all were transfixed by their tango. In the background, Edward looked on with contempt as the two crisscrossed over the dance floor. "What a waste," he muttered to himself. When the song ended, Hans and Ruby went off to the corner to talk for a while. The two discussed the latest books they had read, and the possibility of the two taking a trip to the village tomorrow before she left for home. They were so caught up in their discussions, that Hans almost forgot his plan to get Ruby a drink. He excused himself and went over the table, and poured a glass of punch for her. When he returned to where they had been sitting together, Ruby was gone. "Ruby!" he called, but no one answered. Hans walked up to several noblemen and asked if they had seen her, but none had. He looked around some more, finally finding a person who had seen Ruby. "She went out on the balcony," a woman from the Northern Isles told him._

" _Thank you," Hans said, before quickly heading towards the balcony. When he opened the doors, and stepped out onto the balcony, he saw something that horrified him._

 _Princess Ruby and his brother Edward were kissing each other. Hans didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but it was all too real. Ruby and Edward's lips were pressed against one another, both of them moaning with pleasure_

 _Tears filled Hans' eyes as he dropped the glass from his hand. The shattering sound it made after hitting the concrete, quickly alerted Ruby and Edward of his presence._

 _Both of them turned and faced him. Ruby was smiling, obviously still savoring what had just occurred._

" _Hans! We were just wondering where you were?" she said, leaning her head against Edward's shoulder._

" _Yeah, where were you, little bro?" Edward asked, flashing him a wicked smile._

 _Hans couldn't answer. He just stood and stared at Ruby, the girl he loved, cuddle up on his brother. How could his own brother do this to him? They've done many unpleasant things before, but this…this was a new low._

" _Hans, are you OK?" Ruby asked._

 _Hans didn't answer. Instead he turned around, ran back inside, and headed upstairs. Once he was in his room, he locked the door behind him, and collapsed to the floor, crying his eyes out._

* * *

After Hans brought the boar back to the cave, he got back to work on trying to start a fire for Anna and him. He had been rubbing two sticks together for several hours, and still had no results. Anna watched as her former captor cussed out the pieces of wood in front of him, furious that they refused to light.

"Goddammit! Light you stupid wood!" he yelled.

"Sure, why not shout at it, maybe that will start a fire," Anna teased.

Hans glared angrily at Anna. "I hope you know that I'm doing this for you!"

"Oh really? Because I specifically remember telling you not to kill that boar," Anna retorted.

"Whatever. If you're not going to help, at least be quiet."

Anna laid back on one of the rocks, watching as Hans continued to rub the sticks together. Eventually, after another series of failed attempts, Hans managed to cause smoke to billow out of the wood. He blew on it gently, causing the smoke to grow bigger, and a spark to form. "Yes, yes, yes!" he cried. The flame grew bigger and started to cover the entire piece of wood.

"Anna, go get more pieces of wood!" he cried.

When the princess returned with several large pieces of wood, she tossed them down near the fire that Hans had created. Hans added each piece to the fire, causing the flames to grow higher and higher, making Hans very happy.

"I have created fire!" he yelled triumphantly. "I made fire, I made fire, I made fire!"

Anna rolled her eyes. "You act like you just discovered the damn thing."

Hans ignored her, and sat down to begin skinning the boar with his knife. Before too long, the prince was roasting pieces of meat over the fire.

Anna had to admit it; she was pleased that Hans managed to get a fire going. And as much as she disagreed with him killing the boar, she couldn't wait to eat some meat.

The two dined on a steady meal of pork, fruit, and coconut water. It was by far the biggest meal either of them had had in days. While they ate, Hans thought of other animals he could hunt on the island. He had seen a few crabs scurrying along the shore earlier, those would be great to eat. However, he didn't want to waste the remaining bullets in his gun on them. He had to find a new way to hunt them. After finishing his meal, Hans retrieved one of the sticks Anna had gathered to use as firewood, and began to whittle it.

Anna noticed what he was doing and asked about it. "Are you making something?"

"I'm going to make a spear out of this stick," Hans said, peeling away the bark with his knife.

"I honestly don't think that's going to kill another boar for us," she said.

"I know, which is why I plan on using it to hunt other things like crab and fish."

"Pretty resourceful," Anna commented. "Well, while you work on your new weapon, I'm going down to the beach for a while."

Anna left Hans alone in the cave, going back down to the beach where she said she was going. She took a seat in the sand, and looked out over the horizon. It had been days since they landed on the island, and they were still here! Anna was beginning to wonder if anyone was coming to rescue them. What if Elsa and Kristoff think I'm dead? She thought. What if they've given up searching for me? The mere thought of it all brought tears to Anna's eyes. If that were the truth, then she would be stuck on this island forever with Hans of all people. Looking out over the horizon, she noticed a large, strange looking object in the water, brushed up against the rocks.

Anna walked over to see what it was, and nearly screamed when she found out. It was a dead body…a human body. Without thinking twice, she raced back to the cave and told Hans what she had found.

"Hans, I found someone in the water!" she cried.

Hans turned to face her. "Who?" he asked.

"I don't know, but it's some dead man," Anna said, still traumatized by what she had just seen.

"Show me!"

Anna led Hans back to where she had found the dead man. Upon seeing it, Hans knew instantly who it was.

"Captain Ulric," he said softly.

"You knew him?"

"Yes, he was the captain of my ship when I captured you. From the looks of it, he's been dead for quite some time now. Oh well."

Hans turned around and started to walk back towards the cave, when Anna called for him to stop.

"Hans, we can't just leave him here," she said.

"Why not? He's dead, Anna," Hans retorted.

"That doesn't matter. We should give him a proper burial."

Hans started to laugh. He couldn't believe what the princess was actually suggesting.

"You want to bury him? The man who is partially responsible for your current predicament? Oh that's rich, Anna. That really is."

Anna's face grew stern; she wasn't going to let him off that easy. "He was under YOUR orders, Hans, in case you don't remember. Because of you, he lost his life. You owe it to him to at least give him a proper burial."

Hans knew that Anna was steadfast in her belief, and nothing he could say would change that.

"Alright, let's bring his body over to the beach," Hans said reluctantly. Hans grabbed Captain Ulric's head, while Anna grabbed his feet, and the two hauled his body back to the upper part of the beach. Using the empty coconut shells as makeshift shovels, the two dug a shallow grave for the captain. Looking through his coat pocket, Anna found a pocket watch, which contained a photograph of Captain Ulric and what she assumed were his wife and son. Once he was buried, Anna took out a piece of wood and carved his name in it using Hans' knife. She put the piece of wood on top of his grave, and stood back to look at their finished work.

"Well, that's that," Hans said. "I'm going back to the cave."

"Wait, Hans," Anna said, grabbing his arm. "Shouldn't we say something on his behalf?"

"I barely knew the guy," Hans said.

"That doesn't matter. We should pay our respects. Here, I'll go first," Anna said, taking a step forward.

"Captain Ulric, words cannot begin to express the sorrow I feel for your loss. Even though I didn't know you, you seemed like you were a good man, someone who always looked out for his crew, and loved his family deeply. If we ever get off this island, I promise I will return this pocket watch to your wife and son, and let them know of the tragic fate that has befallen you. Once again, I am so sorry that this happened. You didn't need to die just to fulfill a man's twisted request." Anna flashed Hans an angry glare, showing him that she was talking about him. The prince shrugged it off, and then gave his words of respect.

"Captain Ulric, I didn't know you too well, but you seemed like a good captain. I too am sorry that this happened to you, and I'm even sorrier that all that gold I paid you went to waste. Wherever you are now, I hope you are happy."

It wasn't the best eulogy Anna had ever heard, but it would do. After paying their respects, the two walked back to the cave together. Along the way, Anna looked at the photograph of Captain Ulric and his family.

"I hope to have a family like this with Kristoff someday," she said.

"What, the ice harvester?" Hans asked. "That lonely peasant? You're a princess, you deserve someone far better than that."

"Kristoff is a wonderful man," Anna said in defense. "He's kind, funny, brave, and he cares about me. He's my true love."

Hans laughed. "Oh here we go again," he said. "Anna, you wouldn't know what true love is if it hit you on the head."

Anna stopped walking and faced Hans: her eyes gleamed with anger and hate. "I know more about true love than you ever will, Hans. You don't care about anyone but yourself, and that's the first rule about loving someone. You put their needs before your own. That's what Kristoff does for me. He's more of a man than you'll ever be!"

The princess stormed off back into the cave, leaving Hans alone on the beach. Anna's words were sharp, and bitter, but they were very true, and that was most painful. For the first time in many years, Hans started to cry.

* * *

 **A much more vulnerable side to Hans is revealed in this chapter, and that vulnerability will continue to grow. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	8. The Search

Chapter 8:

The Search

* * *

Elsa paced back in forth in her study, crying her eyes out at her current dilemma. Anna and Hans had been missing for a week now, and still there was no sign of them. After she returned from the Southern Isles, she sent a dozen ships to look for the two, instructing them to go to every nearby kingdom, town and village that they came across. Their efforts proved to be fruitless as no one had seen Anna, Hans, or any of the missing crew. It was like they simply vanished out of thin air!

As frustrated as she was, Elsa did not give up hope. She knew that Anna was out there somewhere, being held captive by that despicable man. Since her meeting with King Daniel, Elsa had been in regular correspondence with him. The king did just as he promised, and sent out ships as well to look for Anna and Hans but nothing turned up. In all honesty, Elsa did not care for King Daniel. He was very arrogant, and quite frankly, very rude as well. The man seemed to have this sense of entitlement about him that greatly annoyed her. And of course there was Richard, his oldest son. The prince had been constantly sending letters to Elsa requesting her hand in marriage, but Elsa politely declined them all. She thought it was foolish that the man would want to marry her even though he only knew her for a week.

Kristoff and Olaf did their best to comfort Elsa, but it did little good. The promises of "we'll find her" and "I think today's the lucky day!" were all in vain. She already believed that Anna was out there somewhere, she wanted new information! Where is her beloved sister?

A knock came at the door, and Elsa signaled for the person to come in.

The door opened, and Kristoff stepped inside.

"I just got word from the kingdom of Labraza," he said. "They haven't seen either of them, I'm afraid."

Elsa shook her head: once again more disappointing news. "Did they search the entire city?" she asked.

"From top to bottom. They even interviewed the citizens to see if they had any information, but none did."

Elsa sighed. She needed to change her strategy. Clearly just looking for answers wasn't working.

"I'm going to put up a reward," she said, taking out a piece of paper to write on. "I'm offering 20,000 gold pieces for anyone to come forward with any information regarding the whereabouts of Anna and Hans."

Kristoff looked surprised. "Wow! That's a lot of money!" he said. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"I don't know what else to do, Kristoff. I have a feeling that someone out there knows something, but won't tell us. Maybe this will pry the information out of them."

"Ok. Just to warn you though, you're probably going to get a boatload of false leads," Kristoff said. "People will do anything to get 20,000 gold pieces."

Elsa knew that what the ice harvester said was true, but she didn't care. As far as she was concerned, anyone who volunteered to come forward was important to her. Once she finished the reward poster, she gave it to Kai to take to the printing press, and make over a hundred copies of it. "Mail one to every nearby kingdom, village, and town," she instructed.

Kai did as she wished, and pretty soon, every kingdom in Europe was receiving Elsa's reward offer. It didn't take long before she received some responses. Just as she and Kristoff predicted, many were false leads. One man from Warsaw claimed to have a woman who looked just like Anna attend the same church as him. Elsa immediately took a trip out to Warsaw to verify the man's claim, which she quickly refuted. The woman did resemble Anna, but she wasn't her. This woman was much older. Another tip she received was from a carpenter in Berlin, who claimed to have seen Anna and Hans arguing in the town square one afternoon. Fearing the possibility of another wasted trip, Elsa wrote to the king of Berlin, asking him to do a thorough search of his kingdom for people resembling Anna and Hans, but nothing turned up. Every day more and more leads poured in, each one of them false, and full of greedy people who only cared about the money.

One day, three weeks after put up the reward offer, a man came to Arendelle from Paris, claiming he had something important to show Queen Elsa. Two guards led the man into the throne room, where Elsa was looking over a large map of Europe.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Monette has some important information to share with you," one of the guards said.

Elsa put down her map, and stood up to greet the man. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Monette," she said. "What do you wish to share with me?"

Mr. Monette took a few steps toward the Snow Queen, and pulled a badly rusted dagger from his pocket.

"Your Majesty, this washed up on our shores not too long ago. It has the Southern Isle crest embedded into it," he said, pointing to the crest on the handle of the dagger.

"At first we didn't know what to make of it, then we heard about the disappearance of Princess Anna and Prince Hans. I took a voyage to the Southern Isles, and met with King Daniel, and showed him the dagger. He confirmed that it did belong to someone from the Southern Isles, but not just anybody. He said it belonged to Captain Ulric, captain of the Southern Isles navy. It was discovered shortly after Hans left, that Captain Ulric was the man leading the ship that captured Princess Anna. If this is truly his dagger, then we believe that something might have happened to this ship before it could return to the Southern Isles. It's a distinct possibility that the ship sunk."

With every word the Frenchman spoke, Elsa felt her heart tearing in half. She wasn't prepared to hear news of this kind, especially news this devastating. For weeks she believed that Anna was alive, and being held prisoner somewhere, but now her worst fears were confirmed. Anna was dead, and probably somewhere deep at the bottom of the sea. Ice began to grow along the walls of the throne room, covering every square foot of the place. Mr. Monette hung his head low, crying himself. "I'm so sorry, Queen Elsa. If there is anything I can do, please let me know."

Elsa didn't respond. She continued to cry, letting the icy tears cover her face. Mr. Monette knew that there was nothing more he could say, and the guards escorted him back to his ship. Once they left, Elsa fell onto the floor, sobbing like never before. Anna was dead, so soon after she finally had her back, she was dead! Why? Why was life so cruel to her? First Anna was kept away from her for thirteen years, and now she would be kept away forever. Elsa lay there on the floor of the throne room, thinking only about Anna, and how much she loved her. Even after all those years, she never gave up hope. She never stopped loving her. Elsa always believed that she didn't deserve Anna's kindness, especially after what she did to her. I should have gone on that trip with her, she thought to herself. We would both be dead then, but at least we'd be together. Elsa continued to cry for the next several hours, not even bothering to get up off the floor. Life had no meaning anymore.

* * *

Late one evening as a thunderstorm hit the island, Hans tended to the fire while Anna slept soundly. She had not spoken to him in the past few days, keeping mainly to herself. Hans tried to make an idle conversation with her, but she ignored him every time.

Any plans Hans had for revenge on Arendelle, were now abandoned. What was the point? They were stranded on a desert island, nobody knew where they were, and even he did manage to find a way off the island, he wouldn't be able to stay hidden for long. By now people were probably aware of his plan, and the moment they saw him, he'd be arrested and throne in prison, this time for good.

Hans looked over at Anna sleeping in the corner. She was fast asleep, breathing softly, and curled up in a ball. The more Hans looked at her, the more he began to hate her. It's her fault that I'm in this mess, he thought to himself. The reason I wanted revenge on Arendelle was because of her, and now I'm stranded with her. She wasn't making anything easy by no means. Anna was always bickering at him, she ate a lot of the food he'd gathered, and to top it off, she was a total nuisance. He'd be better off without her.

Hans looked to his right, and saw his pistol lying on one of the rocks. He picked it up, and looked inside, seeing that he still had three rounds left. Anna was still in a deep sleep, not noticing as Hans stood up and walked softly over to her. He aimed the pistol at her head, and put his finger on the trigger. I'm doing the right thing, he thought to myself. Without her, my life will improve tenfold. I will no longer have to share any of the food, I don't have to hear her bickering, and in a way, I'll get my revenge on Arendelle.

True, I won't have the throne, but at least I'll do some damage. And if I ever do manage to get off this island, I can easily say that Anna drowned at sea. They would believe that, no questions asked. He'd probably spend some time for kidnapping, but they couldn't charge him with murder. After all, they would never know what really happened to Anna.

Hans took a step closer, ready to pull the trigger at any moment. As he stared at Anna sleeping soundly, he noticed for the first time just how beautiful she truly was. Even with her hair and clothes dirty, she still looked pretty. Hans hadn't really paid attention to her beauty the first time he met her. The only thing on his mind was wooing her into marrying him, he could've cared less how she looked. As he continued to stare at Anna, he began to think of Ruby. Anna reminded him of her. They both had the same color hair, and both had lively personalities. Hans never saw Ruby again after that night on the balcony, so he had no idea how she looked today. But if he had to take a guess, he'd say she'd probably look a lot like Anna.

Hans tried to push the thoughts aside, and focus on the task at hand, but he couldn't. How could he kill something so beautiful? Anna's death may bring him peace of mind, but it wouldn't give him the thing he wanted most, which was the throne. There was simply no point in it. The prince lowered the gun, and put it into his pocket. He then went back to where he was sitting, and continued to tend to the fire.

* * *

 **Things are really starting to heat up now. Hans is beginning his transformation, but he still has a long way to go to prove it to Anna.**

 **Please Review!**


	9. Start of Something New

Chapter 9:

Start of Something New

 **A/N: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! They make me very happy, and I love reading them. I noticed that a lot of you are wondering if Hans and Anna will fall for each other. I can assure you that Anna will remain loyal to Kristoff. Hans on the other hand, you'll have to wait and see. I'm not saying he will or he won't, but only time will tell.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Hans ran down the hallways, squealing in delight. He had just received an A on his spelling test, and couldn't wait to show his father. Even though he was only seven years old, Hans was quite the intelligent student, and did really well at higher level work. He knew that his father was always praising his brother's for getting good grades, now he hoped he would do the same to him. As he passed the portrait room, his brothers Richard and Edward stepped out in front of him._

" _Hey there, Hans! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Richard asked._

" _I'm going to show dad what I got on my spelling test! I got an A!" Hans said, showing his brothers his graded test paper._

" _Wow! That's impressive," Edward said. "Dad is sure to be proud of you. But before you go to him, do you think you can do us a favor, Hans?"_

" _I don't know. I'm kind of busy right now."_

" _Oh it will only take a minute," Richard assured. "Follow us and we'll show you what we need you to do." The two brothers led Hans to their father's study. Hans knew that they were not supposed to go in there without their father's permission, so naturally he was nervous when he followed Richard and Edward inside._

" _Guys, you know we're not supposed to be in here!" he whispered, hoping that no one would hear him._

" _It'll only be for a minute, Hans. Calm down," Richard said. "Now, do you see that pistol up on the wall above the bookcase over there?"_

 _On the wall hung their father's pistol, one that he had had since he was a boy. It was his most prized possession._

" _Yeah."_

" _We need you to climb up there and get it for us."_

" _But…that's dad's pistol. Shouldn't we ask him before we take it?" Hans asked, fearing the consequences if they were caught._

" _He'd never lend it to us," Edward said. "That's why we're going to borrow it while he's in a meeting, and bring it back before he gets out."_

" _Ok. I guess that's alright. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"_

" _That's the spirit, Hans. Now climb up there and get that gun."_

 _Hans walked toward the bookcase, and slowly started to ascend it. It was a lot taller than he realized, and very rickety. As Hans grew closer to where the pistol hung, the shelf started to rock more frequently. The young prince held on tight with one hand, while he used the other to grab the pistol. It took him a few tries, but finally he wrapped his hand around it. But in doing so, Hans accidently put his finger on the trigger, and pulled it. The pistol fired a single shot straight across the room and hit the other side of the wall. The unexpected outcome startled Hans, and caused him to lose his balance on the bookshelf. As he tried to pull himself back up, the entire bookcase came crashing down on top of him, spewing books and important documents everywhere. Hans' head throbbed from where the bookcase hit him; he had never felt pain like that in all his life. He struggled as he crawled out from under it, looking around for Richard and Edward. He saw the two standing right in front of him, laughing like a couple of hyenas._

" _Dad is going to kill you!" Richard said._

" _If you thought he hated you now, you got another thing coming," Edward added._

" _What the hell is going on here?" called a booming voice._

 _Knowing they didn't have a second to spare, Richard and Edward darted out of the study, just before King Daniel entered. When he saw Hans and the mess he caused, he was furious._

" _What the hell did you do?" he yelled._

 _Hans tried to push the bookcase off of him, but it was too heavy. Its weight was crushing his back._

" _Richard and Edward made me do it!" he said. "They wanted to use your pistol!"_

" _You touched my pistol?" King Daniel cried, looking at his prized possession lying on the ground._

" _I told them they shouldn't play with it, but they wouldn't listen."_

 _King Daniel lifted the bookcase off of his son, and dragged him out from under it._

" _Stand up!"_

 _Hans did as he was told, knowing the worst was yet to come. King Daniel reeled his fist back, and punched him right in the eye. The force caused Hans to stumble back, and fall to the floor. King Daniel knelt down, and grabbed him by the shoulders, bashing his head repeatedly against the hard wood floor._

 _When he was done, he grabbed Hans by the collar of his shirt, and stood him up._

" _Get out of my sight, you pathetic piece of shit!" he snarled. "You're nothing but trouble, and that's all you'll ever be good at."_

 _Hans ran out of the room as fast as he could. His legs and back were still throbbing from where the bookcase had landed, and his right eye was very sore. The young prince went to his room, and looked in the mirror. A large black eye stared back at him, and blood trickled down his forehead. Hans collapsed on the floor, and began to cry. He didn't know what hurt the most; the injuries he had received, or the fact that he never got to show his father what he got on his spelling test._

* * *

The next morning, Hans was up bright and early preparing breakfast for Anna and him. He used his homemade to spear to catch several fish in the water. After skinning them, he then cooked them over the fire. In addition to the fish, he gathered a fresh supply of fruit, and coconut water for the two of them to drink. When Anna awoke, she immediately smelled something good cooking. Sitting up straight, she looked over to her right, she saw Hans roasting two small pieces of meat over the fire.

"Good morning," Hans said, upon noticing her. "I hope you like fish."

Anna walked over and sat by the fire, letting the heat warm her hands. "I do," she said simply.

Hans removed the fish from his spear, and handed one to Anna. "I thought we'd try something different today."

Anna took a small bite of the fish in her hand. She was surprised at how well it tasted. It reminded her a lot of salmon she often ate back in Arendelle. "This is delicious," she said.

Hans smiled. He was glad that what he had done pleased her. "Glad to hear it. Say, after you finish eating, how about we take a walk up the mountain? We've never been before, so I figured we'd go see what it's like."

"Ok," Anna said. The princess was still very mad at Hans deep down, but she was grateful for his gesture with the fish, and truth be told, she could really use the fresh air.

After eating, the two set out for the top of the mountain. Hans made sure to bring his pistol, and knife in case they ran into anything dangerous. It was very hot out that day, causing both Hans and Anna to sweat profusely. The prince used his shirt to wipe off the sweat from his face every so often, and Anna frequently fanned herself with her hands to try and stay cool. The forest seemed to go on for miles as well, and when they finally came to the bottom of the mountain, the two were already exhausted.

"This was a mistake. Let's go back to camp, and rest," Anna said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"We're almost there," Hans protested. "Come on, it'll be worth it once we get to the top."

Anna sighed. She was too tired to argue with the man. "It better be," she said.

The mountain was surprisingly not that difficult to climb. It was definitely a lot easier than climbing the North Mountain back home. With every step she took, Anna made sure to watch her footing. Some of the rocks looked unstable, and could collapse from right out under her at any time. The higher they climbed, the more they felt the sun's rays beating down on them. Hans looked at his right arm, and noticed it was starting to turn red from sunburn. But there was no sense in turning back now. They had already started the climb, they might as well finish it.

A little while later, Hans called down to Anna to announce how close they were to the top.

"We're almost there!" he called out.

Anna groaned. "You keep saying that!"

"This time I mean it!" Hans lifted his body up to a much larger rock, and hoisted himself up. He then turned around to help Anna.

"Give me your hand, and I'll pull you up," he said, extending his hand.

"Why? So you can let me fall to my death?" the princess spat.

"Anna, just do it."

Anna was still very suspicions of Hans, and truth be told, the thought of trusting him to pull her up terrified her, but she did it nonetheless. Hans grabbed tight to her with both his hands, and hoisted her up to the rock where he was.

"Got to have a little more faith in me, Anna," he said.

Anna ignored him, walking over to the other side of the rock for a better view. "Wow!" she said.

When Hans joined her, he saw what had amazed the princess. The view was spectacular! They could see the entire island from above as well as the sea that stretched on for miles and miles. Down below, they saw the cave where they were staying, the waves were splashing hard against the rocks beneath it. Anna sat down on the edge, allowing herself a minute to take it all in. She hadn't seen something this impressive since Elsa's ice palace. The view was so mesmerizing, she could stay up here forever. Hans took a seat beside her, and continued to marvel at the view.

"This is something else," he said.

"I'll say."

"Look at that over there!" Hans said pointing his finger to the right of them.

Anna turned, and saw flock of birds flying in front of them. "Neat! I'm so glad we came up here. I had no idea how beautiful this place was."

The two sat quietly for a little while, simply admiring their newfound discovery. Hans had never seen anything this beautiful in his life. It filled him with happiness, and a sense of peace that he had not had in a very long time. Looking at Anna beside him, he saw her long red hair, blowing in the wind. Her teal eyes sparkled like two diamonds in the sunlight. Hans felt an old jittery feeling in his stomach, one that he had not felt since Ruby. He enjoyed the feeling, allowing himself to bask in it. In all honesty, he didn't really know what was causing him to feel this way. The view from the mountaintop, or Anna. Either way, he felt better than he had in a long, long time.

"This is kind of romantic," he said.

Hans' statement broke Anna out of her trance. She turned and flashed him a look of contempt.

"Don't even think about it," she warned.

"About what?"

"You know damn well what."

"All I said was that this is kind of romantic, what's wrong with that?"

"I know what you're trying to do, Hans, and it's not going to work. I've fallen for your charm before, and it was biggest mistake of my life, one that I'm never going to make again."

"Anna, just listen…

"No, I'm not going to listen to your lies anymore. I'm going back to the campsite. Do me a favor, and stay up here for a while. The longer I don't have to see your face, the better."

"Anna, wait!" Hans cried out.

But the princess had already begun descending the rocks. He continued to shout at her, but every one of his calls was ignored. Hans sat back on the edge of the cliff, mulling over what had just happened. Everything was going fine until he opened his big mouth. "This is kind of romantic." What the hell was he thinking? He should have known that Anna would react aggressively. Moreover, why did he even say that to begin with? He didn't love Anna. She was his sworn enemy. If it weren't for her, he'd be the ruler of Arendelle right now.

So what was with that warm, pleasant feeling he got when he looked at her a while ago? Was it the heat that got to him? It was after all blistering hot out today. Or was it something else? Something that lit a fire from within. A fire that until now, had long since been extinguished.

* * *

 **Another significant moment in Hans' transformation. Where will this lead? Next chapter will focus on Elsa and Kristoff slowly recovering from Anna's perceived death. Stay tuned!**

 **Please Review!**


	10. Grieving

Chapter 10:

Grieving

 **A/N: Now we focus on what's going on back in Arendelle. Enjoy!**

* * *

After learning of Anna's death, Elsa paid Mr. Monnette the reward money, and sent him on his way. Shortly thereafter, she instructed her servants to prepare a funeral service for Anna. At the funeral, Elsa didn't say a word. As the priest led the service, she stared solemnly into space. Kristoff and Olaf stood beside her, sharing in her grief. Elsa had a large stone monument built right next to their parents. She hadn't been to their funeral, but there was no way she was going to miss her beloved sister's.

"Does Queen Elsa wish to say a few words?" the priest asked Elsa.

The Snow Queen was silent, continuing to stare into space, icy tears dripping down her cheeks.

The priest understood what Elsa was feeling, and finished off the service without Elsa speaking a word. Even after it was over, Elsa remained at Anna's tombstone with Kristoff and Olaf were there to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry, Elsa," Kristoff said, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Elsa ignored him, still focused on her own tears. No amount of comfort from anyone could help her now. Anna, her sister, her only living relative was now gone forever, and so soon after they had restored their friendship. That bastard Hans, she hoped he'd rot in in hell for all that he's done. Even though the rest of the Southern Isles isn't to blame, she couldn't help but do so. A part of her wanted to freeze every single citizen of the Southern Isles for Hans' actions, but another part of her screamed against the idea, reminding her that in doing so she would become the monster that so many feared she was. She would throw away all that she worked for.

"Kristoff, I'd like to be alone now, if you don't mind," Elsa sobbed.

"I understand. We'll be in the palace if you need us."

When Kristoff and Olaf were gone, Elsa wrapped her arms around the tombstone, letting her tears pour over it. For the rest of the day she stayed there, too heartbroken to move.

In the days that followed, Elsa returned to her former reclusive self. She canceled all meetings, and stayed locked in her room most of the time. On occasion she allowed Kristoff and Olaf to enter, just so she could see that they were alright, but that wasn't often. Most of her days were spent crying, and languishing over the loss of Anna. Her entire room was often completely covered with frost, symbolizing the cold loneliness she felt deep down within.

Kristoff spent most of his time with Sven, Olaf, and his troll family. Never before had he needed someone to be there for him. Kristoff had never loss someone he cared about before. He never knew his parents, and most of his life was spent with just him and Sven. But when he met Anna, he found the first human he actually cared about, more than he realized. She was sweet, kind, and friendly, albeit a bit naïve at times. But everything about Anna was special: from her energetic personality, to her clumsy nature, everything about her was lovable. Even though he had only known her for a year, Kristoff missed her more than he could ever imagine. Still, a part of it felt unreal to him. There were days when he woke up in the morning wondering what he and Anna were going to do today, only to be quickly reminded that she was no longer here. But as much as he mourned for the loss of the woman he loved, nothing could compare to the heartache that Elsa was going through. For thirteen years she was cut off from her sister, the one person who loved her more than life itself. Just when they finally got each other back, the rug was torn right out from under them. One thing was for certain, Elsa had endured more heartache than she deserved. Now she was closing everyone out again, sulking in her own sorrow. No matter how painful something might be, Kristoff knew that keeping your feelings bundled up was never a good thing to do. You had to have at least one person there to comfort you. Without anybody there, the misery only grows stronger. Elsa needed him now more than ever.

He exited his room and walked down the hallway to where Elsa's room was. Normally she kept the door locked, however this time she chose to do otherwise. The ice harvester turned the knob, and walked inside.

"Elsa!" he called out. He looked over the window, and saw the Snow Queen holding a large dagger made of ice in front of her chest. She pulled back slowly, ready to drive it deep into her heart. Without wasting another second, Kristoff darted forward and smacked the dagger out of Elsa's hand. The icy object shattered the moment it hit the floor, spewing bits of ice everywhere.

"Kristoff, don't interfere with this!" Elsa cried.

The ice harvester grabbed Elsa by the wrists, and held her tight, vowing not to let her escape him.

"Elsa, what the hell is wrong with you? What do you think you're doing?" he cried.

Elsa tried to squirm out of Kristoff's grasp, but his grip was too tight.

"Kristoff, I'm warning you, if you don't let me go, I'll freeze your hands solid!" she warned.

"I'll let go once you promise me that you won't harm yourself!"

"My mind is made up, Kristoff, I can't go on. Anna was all the family I had left, she was the one thing that kept me going, and now she's gone. There's no reason to live anymore."

"That's nonsense, and you know it! What about your kingdom? What about your people? What about Olaf? What about me? Don't you care about us?"

"Kristoff, you don't understand," Elsa said, the tears returning to her eyes. "Arendelle can always find someone else to rule, but I can't go on without Anna. Don't you see? She was my guiding light, the one who always believed in me, even when no one else did. It was her love that ended the Eternal Winter, she's the reason I'm still alive! Without her, Hans would have killed me! All my life I hid in fear because of my powers, not wanting to hurt Anna. I know it seemed very selfish, but I only did it because I loved her so much. She was the thing that made the loneliness worthwhile: it was painful, yes, but rewarding knowing that I wouldn't hurt her!"

"And that was wrong, Elsa!" Kristoff spat. "And you know it. Don't tell me you didn't yearn for your sister all those years. You yourself said that she means more than anything to you. And Anna wanted you in return. Once she got you back, a happiness she never knew existed emerged. A happiness that defied anything you could ever imagine. She was happy not just because she had you back, she was happy because you were happy. She saw that you were no longer suffering, and were enjoying the company of others, the way it should have been all along. Do you want to destroy her happiness by taking your own life? That's the last thing Anna would have wanted. She would want you to go on with your life, and be the best queen you can possible be, that's what Anna would want.

You also said that you never ever want to hurt anybody, right? Think of all the people you'd be hurting if you killed yourself. Me, Olaf, the people of Arendelle! All those who love you! Anna is gone now, Elsa, and I'm so, so, sorry. I miss her too, believe me I would have given my life for her, but there's nothing we can do to change what has happened. My Grand Pabbie once told me that is possible to make goodness come out of a tragedy. I know that seems impossible, but believe me it's not. Don't let Anna go away for good. Keep her alive, spiritually, and live a long and happy life. Make your sister proud, Elsa! Don't let her death be in vain."

Elsa's wiped the tears from her cheeks. She was touched by what Kristoff had told her; whoever would have thought that the man was full of such wisdom. It was true, she never wanted to hurt anybody, especially Anna. And what would her parents say if she killed herself? What would she say to them when she met them in heaven? That she did it for Anna? They wouldn't believe that. They would tell her that her actions were selfish, and that she had taken the cowardly way out. Kristoff was right. Suicide was not the answer. It would bring more harm than it would good. She had to be strong, and rule Arendelle with dignity. Elsa had to make Anna and her parents proud by being the best queen she could be. It what's they would have wanted.

Elsa wrapped her arms around Kristoff, allowing the man to pull her to his chest. She wept softly against him, feeling the beat of his heart pounding next to her. For the first time since she learned of Anna's death, Elsa felt calm, a feeling that she had long since forgotten about. The snow in the room melted into water, dripping from the walls and ceiling. Kristoff and Elsa ignored their surroundings, and focused only on each other. He was all she had now, one of the few people with a deep connection to Anna left. Together, they would keep her memory alive, and never let the kingdom forget about the princess who saved their lives.

* * *

It wasn't long before the Southern Isles learned about the death of Hans and Anna. However, unlike Arendelle who mourned the loss of their beloved princess, the Southern Isles did the opposite with their prince. King Daniel announced that there would be no funeral for Hans. Why should we honor someone who disgraced the kingdom so much? He said. They went on with their lives, acting as if nothing had changed. No one spoke of Hans, not even in a casual regard. It was as if he never existed to begin with.

One day, King Daniel summoned Richard to his study. He wanted to talk to him about something important.

"It's been a month since Hans and Anna died," he said. This was the first time in a while that he had spoken of the tragedy. Queen Elsa must be so distraught over the loss of her beloved sister, especially at the hands of the monster who tried to take her kingdom. At least now he's gone for good. Nevertheless, I feel for her in her time of grieving. I believe we should share our condolences. It was after all one of our own who caused Anna's death. Richard, I want you to go to Arendelle and console Queen Elsa. Show her just how truly sorry we are, and that we are there for her and her kingdom if they need anything. You should also do what you can to mend the relationship between our kingdoms. Arendelle is a very prospering kingdom, and our country could greatly benefit from their services."

"Yes, father. I shall leave tomorrow morning," Richard said. As soon as the eldest son left his father's study, he went to room and packed his bags.

"With the loss of her sister, Queen Elsa is more vulnerable than ever. She'll need a shoulder to cry on, someone to help her through these difficult times, and that's just what I'll do. If I play my cards right, she'll return the favor by submitting her love to me."

* * *

 **A/N: Things are starting to heat up. Next chapter will continue to focus on Hans and Anna back on the island, particularly the changes going on in Hans. Thank you again for all the reviews! If you're enjoying the story and haven't left a review yet, please do so. I'd love to hear what you think!**


	11. Heart to Heart

Chapter 11:

Heart to Heart

 **Guest: To answer your question about how long until they discover that Anna and Hans are alive, I'm not sure just yet. I plan on writing a couple more chapters with them on the island before they are rescued, in order to develop their relationship, but the story won't be longer than twenty chapters. And to answer the second Guest's question, Hans' father's name is Daniel.**

 **PS: For those of you reading my story "Passionate Vengeance" I've decided to put that on hiatus until I've finished this story. I want to give each one 100%, and that will require me to work on them one at a time. Once I'm finished with this, I'll get right back on it!**

* * *

 _Hans stood back and admired his finished work: a painting of a ship sailing off into the sunset. He had been working for days on the project. It was his mother's day present. Hans discovered not long ago that he had a real talent for painting. Since then, he spent most of his days painting various things that caught his attention like the maids cleaning the rooms or the people in the town square. He knew that his mother would love the picture he painted for her; she loved everything he gave her. The young prince put his brush away, and went off to find his mother. He was going to surprise her with this one._

 _As he searched the palace for her, Richard happened to walk by Hans' room. The door was wide open. He looked inside and saw Hans' painting of the ship. That must be his mother's day present, he thought to himself. It looks nice, but it could use a little something. He went into Hans' room, picked up one of the brushes, and started painting on Hans' finished worked._

 _When Hans found his mother, he pulled her by the hand, leading her to his room to show what he had created for her. He was so excited that Aubrey had to tell him several times to slow down. By the time they arrived at his room, Hans was nearly out of breath, and sweating profusely._

" _Happy mother's day!" he said, swinging open the door. Upon entering, the smile on his face quickly disappeared. There on his finished painting, the one he spent days working on, was a large black X in the center. Hans knew instantly that one of his brother's had done this. Now his painting was ruined, and so was his mother's day present._

 _Hans fell to his knees, and started to cry. He had worked so hard on this project, making sure every detail was just right, and his brother's had ruined it. Now he had nothing to give his mother for mother's day. Aubrey saw the wrecked painting as well as Hans crying on the floor. She too knew that one of his brother's had destroyed it, and she swore to find out who later. But right now, her youngest son needed comfort. Aubrey knelt down beside Hans and wrapped her arms around him._

" _I love it, sweetie," she said._

" _But it's ruined!" Hans cried. "Half the painting has a huge X through it!"_

" _I understand that, Hans, and I promise to find out whoever destroyed your painting, but it's OK. It's the thought that counts the most. The fact that you spent days making me something is touching enough as it is. Thank you so much."_

 _Hans hugged his mother, crying softy on her shoulder. He was surprised at how she had reacted to the damage done, but he was grateful nonetheless._

" _Come on now, dry your eyes," Aubrey said, handing him a handkerchief._

 _Hans wiped his eyes with the handkerchief, and handed it back to his mother. Aubrey smiled down at him, hoping that he would do the same. Hans did so, and once again hugged his mother tight._

" _Happy mother's day, mom!" he said. "I love you."_

" _Thank you, sweetie. I love you too."_

* * *

It was a rainy day on the island, which kept Anna and Hans confined to their cave for the time being. The two hadn't spoken to each other since yesterday when they came down from the mountain. Anna was clearly still upset at the comment Hans had made; the look on her face said it all. The princess sat at the far corner of the cave, rubbing a stick across some stones for amusement. She glanced up at Hans at the other end who just lay back, looking up at the ceiling. Since they were stranded here, Hans had changed a little in appearance. His once short hair was much longer, and he had grown a beard as well. Truth be told, he looked like a wild man, especially with the dirty clothes he was wearing, but she herself didn't look any better. Her dress had managed to hold out for the most part, except now it was filthy. She ripped off the skirt so that she would be able to move around easier, and used it as a makeshift pillow. It wasn't the best, but it was better than laying her head on cold, hard rocks.

The fire Hans had built was still going strong, basking them in its warmth. Anna stood up and walked toward it, holding her hands out in front. Hans noticed her movement, and watched her quietly. The two exchanged glances briefly, but didn't say a word to each other.

Hans thought about what he had said yesterday to Anna on the mountaintop. What could have possibly made him say such a thing? This was Anna, his enemy, the one who he had kidnapped, and planned to hold for ransom. Was it the lack of interaction with others? After all, Anna was the only human contact he had for the past month, maybe his instincts were just getting to him. But then why did it feel so good? On the mountain Hans had felt better than he had in a long, long time. Not since his mother was alive did Hans truly feel at peace with himself. The thought of his mother caused tears to form in the prince's eyes. He missed her so much.

Anna noticed Hans crying, and asked him about it.

"What's the matter with you?"

"I just miss her so much," Hans sobbed.

"Who?"

"My mother. She died when I was thirteen."

Anna could tell that this was deep subject matter she was walking into so she proceeded with caution.

"I'm sorry. I miss my parents too."

"We had so many good times together, and then one day, she was gone," Hans cried.

Anna nodded, keeping her eyes focused on the fire as she spoke. "I remember when I was little my mother and I used to play chess together. I was never good, she won every time, but it was always fun to play with her. After every match, we would go down to the kitchen and have a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream. Moments like these I miss dearly. Mother and father were my only real contact all the years Elsa remained isolated from me. When they died, that's when I truly felt alone. Without them, and Elsa still shutting me out, I had nobody. Sure there were plenty of servants around, but it's not the same as having family to love you. So I know what you're going through."

"When she died, I truly had no one as well," Hans explained. "She was the only one who was ever truly kind to me, the only one who really loved me."

"I'm sure your father and brothers loved you too, Hans," Anna said.

Hans shook his head. "I was never good enough for them. They always saw something wrong with me, and never gave me the love that my mother did."

For the first time, Anna felt sympathy for her captor. Despite all that he'd done, she actually felt sorry for him. No wonder he turned out the way he did.

Anna got up and sat beside Hans, who was still crying heavily. She wrapped an arm around him, and gently patted his back. "It's OK. Losing a loved one is hard."

Upon feeling Anna's touch, Hans quickly stopped crying. What was he thinking? Exposing his vulnerable side to Anna? That was stupid. He dried his eyes, and glared at the princess. "Well, you know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," he said. "So in a way, some good came from my mother's death. It made me into the ambitious, good man I am today."

Anna frowned at him; the feeling of hate instantly returned. "Ambitious? More like selfish, and murderous!" she snapped. "Your mother would be ashamed of you if she knew the things you've done to me and my sister. You don't care about anyone but yourself, and you're willing to harm others just to get what you want. You're as far from being a good man as humanly possible. Hell, it's generous for me to even call you a man."

She stood up and marched back to her original spot. "You're a sick human being, Hans. I guess some things never change."

Hans didn't bother responding to the princess's tangent. There was no point in it. She was already mad as it was, no need to make it worse.

That night, Hans lay awake thinking back to what Anna had said to him. Would his mother really be ashamed of him? Wouldn't she be proud that he'd taken control of his own life, and was shaping his own destiny? After all, she always told him to do his best, and that was what he was doing. He looked over at Anna at the other side of the cave. She was sleeping softly, not a peep out of her. He knew that she was just trying to comfort him today, but he didn't need it. Compassion was the enemy, it did nothing to make him a better man. Yet, part of him was drawn to Anna's sentiments. He had never really thought that she too had went through the same pain of losing a loved one. Unlike him, Anna had no one after her parents died. Hans still had his father and brothers, even if they didn't treat him right. And after all that she went through, somehow Anna remained an energetic, happy-go-lucky, girl. How was that possible?

Anna had also been unusually kind to him there for a minute. The kindest he'd seen her since the night of Elsa's coronation. It was as if for a moment all of what had happened between them disappeared, and she saw him as a completely different person. And he had to ruin it by opening his mouth. What an idiot! Anna was Hans' only companion on the island, and despite the history between them, he knew that they had to make the best of it. He didn't know when they would get off the island, but until then, hostility only made things worse not, better. Hans sat up and walked toward Anna. He gently nudged her awake.

"Anna, are you awake!" he whispered.

Anna opened her eyes and looked at Hans sitting next to her.

"What do you want?" she asked groggily.

"I just wanted to thank you for comforting me earlier. That was very thoughtful."

"You're welcome," Anna said in response, closing her eyes again.

"Hey! If it's not raining tomorrow would you like me to teach you how to spear fish? It's actually not as hard as it looks," Hans asked.

"Sure, whatever," Anna said.

"Great. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Anna."

"Goodnight, Hans."

Hans went back to lay down; smiling at his accomplishment. He had already started to improve his relationship with Anna, and tomorrow, it would get even better.

* * *

 **A/N: And the relationship takes a new turn. Will it blossom into something more? Stay tuned to find out.**


	12. A Surprising Visit

Chapter 12:

A Surprising Visit

 **A/N: Once again, thank you all for the wonderful reviews. This chapter will focus on Elsa and Kristoff back home. Tension is about to heat up for them.**

* * *

In the days following Anna's funeral, Elsa tried her best to get on with her life. It wasn't easy; there was always someone expressing their condolences to her, which only reminded her of her loss. She attended daily meetings with a clear mind, and an open heart, wrote letters to various kingdoms, and spent most of her free time with Kristoff and Olaf. The ice harvester and the snowman were happy to see Elsa back on track after a long week of sulking in misery. They too still felt the pain of losing Anna, but they knew that she would want them to get on with their lives.

One day, Elsa attended a meeting regarding the building of a new orphanage in the Arendelle village. The current building was very old, and quite frankly, not big enough for all the children. Elsa decided that a new one should be built in place of it, one that could accommodate as many children as possible. She listened as one of the councilmen described his blueprints to her.

"I've been thinking that we should build in a new location this time, preferably on the west side of town overlooking the fjord."

"That's a great idea," Elsa agreed. "The children will love the view!"

"Precisely, now we are almost ready to start building, but we still don't have all the necessary supplies."

"What do you need?"

"Well, for starters, we need more wood, lots and lots of wood. We could also use some new tools as well. Some of the old ones have worn out from heavy use over the years, and now they don't work!"

Elsa nodded, sharing her concern. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, why don't you…

Suddenly a knock came at the door, Elsa signaled whoever it was to come in. It was Kai. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but Prince Richard of the Southern Isles is here to see you."

Elsa's eyes widened. What on earth could the Southern Isles possibly want with Arendelle? Especially after Hans' terrible deeds. Still, they had suffered a great loss too with the death of Hans. She should at least express her condolences, despite the fact that Hans was the reason her sister was dead to begin with.

"Tell him I'll be right down," she said.

After finishing up her meeting, Elsa went downstairs to the parlor where she found a man looking at the paintings on the wall. He turned when he heard Elsa enter.

"Queen Elsa, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you," he said, extending his hand. Elsa smiled, and shook his hand in response. Richard looked a lot like Hans, except that he had a goatee. He wore a red blazer with khaki pants, and a pair of black boots. On his hip she noticed a gun holster, which held a pistol.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Prince Richard. My deepest condolences for your loss. I am truly sorry."

Richard was taken aback by Elsa's words at first. It took him a minute to realize just what she was talking about; the death of Hans.

"Oh! Thank you, Your Majesty! But let me express my condolences for the loss of Princess Anna. Though I never met her, I've heard many wonderful things about her. She will be missed."

Elsa fought back the tears in her eyes. Talking about Anna still hurt, but she couldn't lose her regal demeanor.

"What brings you to Arendelle, Prince Richard?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Well, my father had a proposition for you, one that he believes you will be interested in."

"And what might that be?"

"He was wondering if you would like to open a trading agreement with the Southern Isles. I know you're probably hesitant to do such a thing, given the history between our two kingdoms, but I can assure you that the Southern Isles is a fine kingdom with a lot to offer."

Elsa was surprised at Richard's request. What was King Daniel thinking in offering a trade partnership so soon after the death of her sister? Was this his way of compensating for what his son did?

"I appreciate your offer, Prince Richard, but I'm going to have to decline. We already have several trading partners, and we really aren't looking for another one at this time."

"I understand, Your Majesty, but there must be something that we can supply you with. Isn't there anything you need?"

"Well, we're currently in the process of building a new orphanage in town. However, we are in desperate need of wood, and tools as well," Elsa explained.

Richard's eyes lit up. "The Southern Isles is known for its quality wood," he said. "We have many kinds: oak, cheery, cedar, pine, etc. You name it! We can supply Arendelle with as much wood as you request. We can also provide you with the tools necessary in building the orphanage."

"Well, I don't know," Elsa thought.

Richard knew instantly why she was reluctant. "I can see why you're hesitant, Queen Elsa, and believe me, you have every right to be. What my brother did to you was despicable. Words cannot express how truly sorry I am for his terrible actions. But please, don't let his actions dissuade you from having a healthy relationship with the Southern Isles. We aren't all like Hans! Please, Queen Elsa, reconsider."

Elsa could tell that Richard wouldn't stop pleading until she gave in. And he did have the supplies they needed to build the orphanage.

"Very well, Prince Richard. You may begin a trading partnership with Arendelle," she said.

"Excellent! I'll write to my father as soon as I can!"

"Of course, we'll have to fill out the necessary paperwork before you begin exporting supplies."

"Yes! I'm more than willing to stay here in Arendelle until it's all complete!" Richard said, flashing a huge smile at the Snow Queen.

Elsa turned on her heels when she heard the sound of someone else enter the parlor. It was Kristoff, who had just returned from a delivery.

"Why hello, Kristoff," she said.

"Hey there," Kristoff replied, focusing his eyes on Richard. "Who's this?"

"Oh! Kristoff I would like you to meet Prince Richard of the Southern Isles. Prince Richard, this is Kristoff Bjorgman. Arendelle's Royal Ice Master and Deliverer."

Richard walked towards the ice harvester and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bjorgman."

"Likewise," Kristoff replied, not bothering to hide the uneasiness in his voice. Richard looked almost exactly like Hans. For a second, Kristoff could have sworn that it was the evil prince standing right in front of Elsa, but a second look quickly proved otherwise. Still, something about him felt off.

"So Prince Richard, will you be staying with us this evening?" Elsa asked.

"If that would be possible, Your Majesty," Richard said.

"It will be. Kai, please prepare a room for Prince Richard. He will staying with us for a few days while we work out the details of our trading agreement."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kai said, giving a bow. Once he left, Elsa invited Kristoff to join them on one of the coaches, while they waited for dinner to be served. Elsa instructed the servants to set up a private meal for her, Richard and Kristoff in the dining hall. Kristoff wasn't too enthusiastic about Prince Richard joining them for supper, but Elsa was the queen, so he couldn't argue with her.

At dinner, Richard put on quite the performance. He was constantly flirting with Elsa, giving her a compliment every five minutes, and bragging about his many achievements. Kristoff kept to himself, trying to tune the obnoxious prince out. As if Hans wasn't bad enough, this man was unbearable!

"And that's why they call me "the best shot in the Southern Isles" Richard said, finishing his story on how he got his nickname.

"Well, I must see your skills with a rifle in action some time, Prince Richard," Elsa replied. She was starting to get annoyed at the prince's boasting, but she remained polite nonetheless. Kristoff on the other hand was about ready to throw up. He stared at the two conversing as he played with his food. Richard clearly had a thing for Elsa, and he wasn't holding anything back in his attempts to impress her.

After Richard finished telling another story, he turned his attention to Kristoff, who had remained quiet for the entire meal.

"So Kristoff, you're an ice harvester?" he asked.

"That's right," Kristoff said with pride. "Ice is my life."

"Quite a tedious profession, wouldn't you say?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're literally collecting ice and selling it for a living. Don't you think that's a bit dull?"

Kristoff grew stern. Now the prince was really starting to annoy him. "No I don't. It's something I've been doing all my life, and I enjoy it very much."

"I can't imagine how anyone would enjoy cutting out blocks of ice every day," Richard scoffed. "I think I'd kill myself if I had to do that. And the pay must be dismal as well."

"Well, it doesn't matter how much money you make. Money doesn't buy happiness. As long as you enjoy what you're doing, that's all that matters."

Richard chuckled, amused at Kristoff's statement. "What idiot told you that?"

"My Grand Pabbie," Kristoff replied angrily.

"Well, to each his own I suppose. But I still think it's an awful job."

Kristoff didn't bother responding. He had said what he had to say, and he was going to leave it at that. Moreover, there was no point in arguing with this arrogant prince.

"I must ask you, Prince Richard, what kind of animals do you have in the Southern Isles," Elsa asked, changing the topic.

"We have many animals. Deer, bear, many different kinds of birds, and even turtles!"

"That sounds lovely! In Arendelle we have a family of trolls who live just outside the kingdom."

Once again, Richard scoffed at what he heard, looking disgusted.

"Trolls? Such filthy creatures. If I were you I'd get rid of them as soon as possible."

"What do you have against trolls, Richard?" Kristoff asked, glaring angrily at the prince.

"They're a nuisance! Always loud and obnoxious, not to mention strange!

"Well, if you got to know them you'd see that they're not really that bad…

"And they're hideous! I mean, I have never seen something so ugly in all my life. Dear God, what an unpleasant sight."

Kristoff slammed a fist down on the table, causing the plates to rattle. He stood up and glared down at Prince Richard, hatred burning in his eyes. As much as Kristoff would love to punch the prince for trash talking his family like that, he knew that Elsa wouldn't approve of it. Instead, he quickly left the dining hall, and slammed the door shut behind him.

"How rude," Richard said.

Elsa ignored him, and instead followed her friend out of the dining hall. She found Kristoff in the parlor sitting by the fire.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine. It's just…that guy is such a jerk," Kristoff said.

"I'm sorry about what he said, that was uncalled for."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"If you want, I could have a talk with him, maybe get him to apologize."

Kristoff smiled; he appreciated the gesture, but he insisted otherwise.

"It's fine, Elsa. I don't need an apology from that jerk."

"Ok. Well, in that case I'll be heading back to the dining hall. Dessert will be served soon, and I hope you join us."

"I'll be there in a minute."

Elsa returned to the dining hall, where she found Richard helping himself to another glass of wine.

"Queen Elsa, I was wondering where you went off too," he said. The man was clearly drunk.

"I was just checking on, Kristoff," Elsa explained. "He seemed pretty upset over what you said."

"What about the trolls?"

"That and his job. Look Richard, Kristoff is a dear friend of mine, and I would greatly appreciate it if you treated him with respect."

Richard poured himself another glass of wine, quickly finishing it off. He made his way over to Elsa; a wry smile was on his face.

"Why settle for a lowly ice harvester, when you can do so much more?" he said.

"Excuse me? I don't follow."

"Kristoff is just a peasant, and not nearly man enough for a woman of your standards. You deserve the very best."

Elsa groaned. This was another one of his attempts to woo her. Keeping her regal demeanor, she politely turned down Richard's advances.

"No, thank you, Richard. I'm not seeking a relationship at this time."

"Ok. Fair enough."

"I think I'm going to retire for the evening, Prince Richard. I'll see you the morning."

Elsa quickly left the dining hall, skipping out on desert for the first time. She said goodnight to Kristoff, and went upstairs to her room. That was definitely an awkward situation; one that she hoped would never happen again. Richard was a nice man, but his personality could use a little work. And quite frankly, his flirting was annoying. But he was offering his services, and for that Elsa was grateful. Little did she know that Richard was a persistent man, and wasn't about to give up so easily. "No" was not a word in his vocabulary.

* * *

 **A/N: Looks like there's a new threat to the Southern Isles. What will Richard do next? Wait and see.**


	13. A Step in the Right Direction?

**Chapter 13:**

 **A Step in the Right Direction?**

 **A/N: Now we return to the lives of Anna and Hans. Big stuff happening in this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

True to his word, Hans took Anna spearfishing early the next morning. The princess was a little hesitant about the whole ordeal; she had never killed anything before, and always assumed that she never would. But due to their current situation, she could make an exception. And besides, she already promised Hans. The two waded into the shallow end of the water, looking around for any fish that might be nearby. Hans gripped his spear tight, and began to explain to Anna how to properly spear a fish.

"Ok. Now the key to spearfishing is concentration. The fish are a lot quicker than you think, so you really have to be on top of your game. Don't take your eye off the target for a second. Let me demonstrate."

A small fish swam by next to their feet. Hans raised the spear high in the air, and focused the arrow on the fish, tracing its every move. Anna watched as he didn't blink once the entire time he was watching the fish. Suddenly, quick as lightening, Hans plunged the spear downward, driving it straight through the fish. Hans held up his speared fish in the air for Anna to see; a look of pride glowing on his face.

"Impressed?"

"Very. You're good," Anna admitted. "That looks like it takes some real skill."

"Once you get the hang of it, it's actually not that hard. Give it a try!" he said, handing the spear to Anna.

"Ok…I doubt that I'll be as good as you though," she said.

"That's alright. Just do your best."

Anna looked down into the water, holding the spear high in the air as she saw Hans do. She saw several fish swim into between the rocks nearby. Picking one out, she plunged the spear down as hard as she could, but the fish swam away just before she could hit the fish.

"Damn! These things are fast!" she cried.

Hans laughed; it was amusing watching Anna attempting to spear a fish.

"I told you so!" Keep trying, just remember what I told you; concentration is the key." Anna made several more attempts to spear a fish, missing every single time. Hans thought she would get tired and eventually give up, but she didn't. The princess was very persistent. After making another failed attempt to spear a fish, Anna groaned loudly in frustration.

"You said this wasn't difficult!"

"It isn't, once you get the hang of it. In the beginning it's a little tricky. Tell you what, how about we go do something else for a while. Maybe later, if you feel like it, you can try again." Anna was getting tired of the activity; so the idea of doing something else was pleasing to her. She handed the pear back to Hans, and walked back onto the beach. Picking up her shoes, she started to walk towards the woods. "Where are you going?" Hans called.

"I'm going exploring. There's still a lot of things I haven't seen on this island."

"Well, wait for me! I want to be there in case you run into another cougar!"

Hans retrieved his pistol from the cave, and followed Anna deep into the heart of the forest. The walked for several hours, seeing many different kinds of insects and animals along the way. Hans could tell that Anna was in awe with what she saw; after spending years cooped up in a palace, seeing something like this must seem like something out a book to her. As they delved deeper into the jungle, the harder it got to walk. Many trees and vines covered the area, slowing the two down significantly. Hans did his best to cut through as many as he could, but it still wasn't enough. Just as soon as he finished cutting one vine, another appeared! The prince grew tired of constantly swinging his knife around. He leaned against a tree, and called for Anna to stop.

"Anna, let's head back. This is getting ridiculous," he said, breathlessly.

"Oh don't be a baby. We still have a lot to see!"

"It's an island, Anna, what could possibly be worth seeing?"

Anna moved several branches out of her way, revealing an open area with virtually no trees.

"Hans, come look at this!" she said.

Hans walked over to where Anna was standing, and looked at what caught the princess's eye. There in the center was a log cabin.

"Why in the world is that here?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Maybe someone lived here for a while, so they built a cabin to live in."

"Yeah, but who would want to live on an island?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone who wanted to get away from it all. Come on, let's go inside."

Anna raced to the front of the cabin. She wrapped a hand around the handle, and slowly pulled it open. Inside, she saw a large wooden table, several cabinets, a fireplace, chairs, and plates laid out on the counter. On the mantle above the fireplace, a rifle hung, one that looked very similar to the one Hans shot as a child.

"Wow! It's like someone's actual home!" she said. Hans stepped inside and saw for himself just what Anna was talking about. It did look like someone's home, and a pretty fine one at that. There was carpet on the floor covering the entire room. At the far end of the cabin, were two large holes that Hans assumed were meant to be windows.

Anna opened one of the cabinets, and pulled out several blankets and pillows. "Look what I found!" she said, holding up the items for Hans to see. "We won't have to lay our heads on solid rock anymore!" What a find!"

"You said it," Hans admitted. Why was this cabin here? And why didn't they discover it earlier? This place was much more accommodating to them than their cave would ever be. Hans saw a wooden chest in the corner of the room. He knelt down, and opened it. Inside, he found a small powder flask filled with gunpowder, along with a book, one that he had read as a child.

"Wow! What a coincidence!" He said, looking through the pages.

"What's that?"

"I found a copy of Robinson Crusoe in this chest."

"Robinson Crusoe?"

"It's an old book my mother used to read to me as a child. It's about this man who is stranded on a desert island for thirty years. During his time there, he encounters all sorts of things like cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued. Now we're living the life of Robinson Crusoe. Fortunately, we haven't run into any cannibal tribes."

"Yeah, let's just hope that we're not here for thirty years either," Anna commented. "The sooner we leave, the better."

Hans opened the book and started to read from it. A pool of memories instantly came back to him as he read the words his own mother once read to him when he was a child. He remembered how she would change the tone of her voice to indicate which character was speaking, and what act out certain parts just to amuse him. Aubrey was the reason why Robinson Crusoe became his favorite book. Every time he read it, he would recall her reading it to him, and in his mind he would picture her reenacting the story to him. Tears started to fall from the young prince's eyes as he flipped through the pages. Anna noticed this, and asked what was wrong.

"Hans, are you OK?"

Hans wiped the tears from his eyes, and sighed. "I'm alright. It's just…this book brings back lots of memories. My mother used to read it to me when I was little."

"Oh. My mother used to read me stories when I was little too," Anna said. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" was always my favorite."

"Even now, years later, I can still hear her voice as she read each word aloud to me before bed. I…. Before Hans could continue his speech, he burst into tears, soaking his entire face, and dripping onto the book below him.

Anna watched as the prince who once left her to die, broke down right in front of her. She knew that Hans had done many wicked things, and she knew deep in heart that she would never forgive him for them, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for the man before her. No longer did he resemble the cunning, handsome prince that she knew. Now he looked like a scared little child crying for his mother. It was a sight that not only moved her, but saddened her as well. Anna placed a hand on Hans's shoulder, and gently patted it. "I'm so sorry, Hans," she said. "I truly am."

At the sound of her voice, Hans wiped the remaining tears from his eyes, and turned to her. Anna thought for sure that he was going to get upset at her for comforting him again, but instead he smiled.

"Thank you, Anna."

"I know the pain of losing someone you love," the princess explained. "I don't think it's something you ever really get over."

"But I was always taught that even though the ones you love might not be with you physically anymore, they are always there spiritually. You can't see them, but they're definitely there. And you'll always have memories of them to look back on. I remember something my mother once said to me after my grandmother died. She said, "Death leaves a heartache that no one can heal, but love leaves a memory that no one can steal."

"That's a beautiful quote," Hans said.

"And it's true, Hans. The memory of your mother will live on forever, and no one can ever take that away from you. She still loves you, Hans, very much. I imagine that she's pretty disappointed in the choices you've made, but she still loves you."

Hans looked at Anna; the princess was smiling timidly back at him. Hans couldn't help but appreciate her words of comfort. A part of him wanted to reject her condolences, but another part deeply appreciated what she was doing for him. Suddenly the memories of what he did to her and Elsa came back to him. He saw himself swinging the sword towards Elsa on the fjord. He saw himself taunting Anna in the library as she lay dying from a frozen heart. For the first time in his life, Hans was disgusted with himself. He now saw what monstrous things he did to Anna and Elsa; two sisters who had experienced more pain than anyone should experience in one lifetime. He only contributed to their misery, and had it not been for Anna, it would have been worse.

Hans looked at Anna, and slowly opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry, Anna," he said softly.

"What did you say?" Anna asked, making sure she heard him correctly.

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you and Elsa. It was a wickedly cruel thing to do. I let my past mold me into a monster, when I should have taken charge of it myself. I let my anger control me, and for that, I've suffered tremendously. I know you can never forgive me, and I don't blame you. What I did to you and Elsa is unforgivable. But I want you to know, that I really am sorry for everything. I'm sorry for letting you believe that I loved you, I'm sorry for leaving you to die, I'm sorry for trying to kill Elsa, and most importantly, I'm sorry for our current predicament. You should be back in Arendelle with your sister, and Kristoff, not stranded on some island in the middle of nowhere. If anything, I deserve this, not you. I'm sorry, Anna. I am so, so sorry."

Hans closed his eyes, unable to face Anna after having poured his soul out to her. He meant every word; spending time with her this past month made me realize just how many wrong choices he had made in his life. In Anna, he learned just how important love is, and that it's worth more than anything in the entire world. When his mother died, his world was shattered. Instead of letting the experience make him stronger, he allowed it to consume him until he became a power-hungry, selfish man, with no consideration for others. He was a rotten individual; who didn't deserve the kindness Anna had given him. If anything, he should tortured to death for all that he'd done.

After a few minutes of silence, Anna finally spoke. "I've always wondered what it would be like to hear you apologize to me," she said. "Weeks after the Great Thaw, I lay in my bed thinking if it were possible for you to change your ways, and become a good person. A large part of me doubted it; seeing what you were capable of. But there was a small fragment left, which held onto the one bit of hope that you would find your way again one day. I guess that one piece of hope was right after all."

Before Hans could open his eyes, he felt Anna wrap her arms around him, embracing him a tight hug. His body shivered as he felt her hair brush against the back of his neck. It was too good to be true.

"I forgive you, Hans," she said, tears now falling from her eyes. Before she thought it was impossible, but here she was doing it; forgiving the man who caused her so much pain. The two sat there in the cabin holding each other for a while. Neither spoke a word, instead choosing to savor the moment of reconciliation. Hans could feel Anna's heartbeat against his chest, pounding like a drum. He felt the same feeling of ecstasy as before flow up and down his body, only this time it was much stronger. A wave of passion overcame him, and Hans felt himself giving into his desires. He gently leaned forward and kissed Anna on the cheek.

The sudden touch of his lips sent the princess back to reality. She let go of Hans, and looked at him in surprise.

"Hans, you're not the one for me. I thought you were a long time ago, but I was wrong. Kristoff is the one I love."

"Please Anna, I'm a changed man, I'm not the person you think I am anymore!" Hans pleaded.

"I believe you, but that doesn't change how I feel about Kristoff. I love him, and he loves me. That's the way it's meant to be."

Hans couldn't find the words to respond. There was no point in denying it now: he was in love with Princess Anna. Before it was just part of his plan to steal the kingdom, he didn't really feel any affection for the princess. But now, he was sure that he loved her.

Anna stood up, and opened the door to the cabin. "I'm going to go back to the cave and get our things. I'll be back soon."

She shut the door behind her, and ventured back into the wilderness. Once she was gone, Hans was left to think about what just happened. By the miracle of all miracles, Anna had actually forgiven him for what he had done. How was that possible? He himself didn't even forgive what he did. Nor did he think he could ever forgive anyone who ever did something like that to him either. But despite everything, Anna still had the big heart that she was always known for. She still cared about him.

Deciding he needed a breath of fresh air after this shocking revelation, Hans exited the cabin and went around out back. He needed some time to clear his head before Anna returned. As he rounded the corner of the log cabin, he discovered something that seemed too good to be true. There, in the backyard, leaning against the cabin, was a wooden rowboat. Inside it were two oars, perfect for paddling.

Hans fell to his knees as he gazed at the sight before him. Whoever lived here before, had an actual boat in case he or she wanted to leave. They could get off this island! They could return to the mainland, and Anna would get to see Elsa! But this news came as bittersweet to Hans. True, Anna would return to Arendelle, and be with her sister, but she would also be with Kristoff; the mountain man who she claimed was her true love. And he would go to prison for kidnapping. He would never see Anna again. Instead he would be locked away in a cell to rot for the rest of his days. And worst of all, she would be with another man, and not him. It was devastating, but he knew that it was true.

No. He couldn't let that happen. Not after Anna had just forgiven him. He couldn't let things go back to the way they used to be; he had to make this last. He couldn't lose Anna. Not again. To the right of the rowboat, he saw an ax leaning against the cabin, probably used to cut firewood. Hans placed the rowboat down on the ground, and picked up the ax. He swung the ax forward, chopping the rowboat in half. He then proceeded to chop the remaining halves into tiny pieces of wood. When he was finished, he stood back and looked at what he had done. He had destroyed their only chance to escape this island. A part of him felt bad for what he had done, but the other half was pleased with himself. Now he and Anna could be together forever. The way it was meant to be.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm probably going to get a lot of controversy for this chapter, but bear with me, the story isn't over yet, there's still more to come. What do you guys think? Do you think Hans did the right thing? Or is his destroying the boat a step backward?**


	14. An Irritating Guest

Chapter 14:

An Irritating Guest

 **A/N: It seems that there were a lot of mixed reactions to the last chapter. Most of you however think that Hans destroying the boat was rational, but selfish nonetheless. I also noticed that I forgot to include a flashback in the last chapter, the next one will have one, I promise. Sorry about that. But right now, let's see how Elsa and Kristoff are doing with Richard.**

* * *

Elsa was sitting in the council room waiting for Prince Richard to arrive. She had several documents spread out in front of her, all of which dealt with the new trading partnership she was making with the Southern Isles. It had been over an hour, and still there was no sign of the prince. Normally Elsa was a very patient woman, but she had a lot of things to do today, in addition to finalizing their trading agreement, so she was a little irritated when the prince hadn't shown up. With over an hour gone, and her next meeting in ten minutes, Elsa decided to see what was taking Richard so long.

"Kai, would you please go and fetch Prince Richard for me?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Kai left the council room, and went upstairs to where Richard was staying. He knocked on the door, and called out to him.

"Prince Richard, Queen Elsa requests your presence in the council room at once," he said.

Kai heard a loud groan from inside the room. "I'll be there in a minute," he said. Dammnit. He had overslept. So much for making the meeting with Elsa on time. Richard hopped out of bed, changed his clothes, and hurried down to the council room, where to his surprise, he found Elsa waiting by the door.

"Good morning, Queen Elsa!" he called out jovially. "How are you?" Might I say you look absolutely stunning today!"

"Where were you?" Elsa asked directly, ignoring his question, and compliment.

"I do apologize, Your Majesty, I must have overslept," Richard explained.

"I see. Well, thanks to your tardiness, I now have to postpone our meeting till tomorrow."

"What? Why can't we do it sometime today?" Richard asked, baffled.

"I have many things to attend to, Prince Richard. If you would have been up earlier and on time, we could have had our trading agreement finalized by now. But it is what it is. I will see you at dinner this evening."

Elsa turned to walk away from the prince, but stopped when she remembered what had occurred between him and Kristoff the previous evening.

"Prince Richard, before I leave for my next meeting, might I have a word with you?"

Richard smiled brightly. Elsa could spend as much time as she wanted to with him.

"Of course, Your Majesty!" he said happily.

"Listen, last night you were kind of rude to Kristoff when he was talking about his career as an ice harvester. You said some things that were really uncalled for."

"I don't know what you mean, Elsa. I was simply giving my opinion on that tedious profession."

"Yes, and you're entitled to your own opinion, but Richard, there is such a thing as subtlety. You should be respectful of others whether or not you agree with them."

Richard started to open his mouth to argue, but then realized that he would be getting nowhere with Elsa if he talked back to her. He needed to please her in every way possible. So instead, he smiled, and said,

"You're right, Queen Elsa. Kristoff is entitled to his own opinion, just as everyone else. When I see him again, I will be sure to apologize for my actions. I am sorry if I offended you as well."

Elsa smiled. It was good to know that Prince Richard had a conscience.

"I accept your apology, Prince Richard. And I commend you for recognizing that what you did was wrong. I wish I could talk more, but I have a meeting to attend. Good day, Prince Richard."

"Good day to you, Queen Elsa," Richard replied happily. Once she was gone, Richard's smile turned to a frown. Great, now I got to find that bumbling ice harvester and apologize to him. Even if I don't mean it, at least it'll bring Elsa closer to me, he thought. God, what I would do to cradle that soft, delicate body of hers in my arms. Soon enough, Richard, soon enough.

* * *

Richard searched the palace for Kristoff, only to learn that he was out in the courtyard, cleaning his sleigh. The prince approached the ice harvester with a warm, gentle smile.

"Good morning, Kristoff!" he said.

Kristoff stopped scrubbing his sleigh, and turned to face the prince.

"Good morning," he said gruffly. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to apologize for what I said last night. That was quite rude of me, and I shouldn't have said it. You clearly work hard for a living, and have a passion for what you do, and that is something I need to respect. So, from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry for all that I said."

Kristoff was skeptical of the prince's apology. The way he spoke was like some actor on a stage, reciting lines for a play. He seemed so…fake. Nevertheless, Kristoff accepted his apology, be it real or not.

"Thank you. I appreciate that," he lied.

"Say, while I have you here, you wouldn't happen to know a thing or two about Queen Elsa that no one else knows about, would you?"

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Oh, what her favorite kind of flower is, what are her hobbies, things of that nature."

"No, I wouldn't."

"Perhaps then, you could tell me how to best court the Queen?"

"Uh…court?"

"You know, court her, get to know her better, and see if there might be a connection between us."

Kristoff fought hard to hold back his laughter. He could not believe this was happening.

"And what makes you think I would know that?" he asked.

"Well, you did manage to capture her sister's heart. Surely Elsa is just as easy."

"Honestly, I don't think she's looking for a relationship right now," Kristoff said bluntly. "She's still going through a lot with the death of Anna and all."

"Ah yes, what a tragedy. My deepest condolences to you all. You must be taking the loss pretty hard."

"Yeah, I miss her, but we have to move on. That's the way life goes," Kristoff sighed.

"Indeed. Elsa must be taking the death of her sister very, very hard. She must need someone to comfort her in her time of distress."

"Well, she has me, Olaf, and everyone in Arendelle," Kristoff stated firmly. "We're here for her no matter what."

"I'm sure you are, but what I mean is that Elsa needs a significant someone in her life, a man to put all her troubles at ease."

Kristoff groaned. Richard was starting to annoy him.

"Listen, I just told you she's not interested in a relationship right now. What part of that don't you understand?"

"Every woman is interested in finding a man to spend forever with!"

"Well, you don't know every woman, especially Elsa. So my advice to you is to back off, and search elsewhere."

"Well, Kristoff, I see that you are in the middle of something," Richard said, gesturing to his sleigh. "I'll leave you to it then. Have a nice day."

Richard walked back into the palace, leaving Kristoff behind to finish cleaning his sleigh. Once he was gone, Kristoff thought about the conversation he had just had with the prince. What a creep, he thought to himself. Doesn't the guy realize that he's twice Elsa's age? And why is he so interested in her in the first place? Being the Crowned Prince of the Southern Isles, surely he has dozens of women back home chasing his affections. One thing was for sure, Kristoff didn't like Prince Richard, and he certainly didn't trust him either.

* * *

 **A/N: I know it's short, but I thought I should crank something out for you guys, since I've been so busy these past few days. Next chapter will return to focus on Anna and Hans, and the following will be on Elsa and Richard. Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews!**


	15. A Guilty Mind

Chapter 15:

A Guilty Mind

 **A/N: I felt bad leaving you guys with such a short chapter the last time, so I thought I'd make it up to you with a longer one this time around. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _A crowd of people stood gathered around a large gravestone in an open field. Queen Aubrey of the Southern Isles had passed away. She had contracted someone unknown disease, something no one had ever heard of before. Within weeks, the disease had infected her entire body, leaving Aubrey bedridden all the time. It wasn't too long before she finally succumbed to her disease, and passed away in the middle of the night._

 _Hans was devastated at the loss of his mother; more than anyone else in the family one could say. Everyone knew that the thirteen year old prince had a close relationship with his mother, the two were inseparable. As the preacher said his final words, Hans stared solemnly at his mother's headstone. This wasn't real, it couldn't be happening. His mother was well, and all of a sudden, this disease comes out of nowhere! They had the best doctors in the kingdom treating her, why couldn't they save her? This was wrong, so very wrong. After the service had concluded and the people went their separate ways, Hans knelt down in front of his mother's grave, and placed a bouquet of flowers next to it. Tears filled his eyes as he spoke._

" _Mom, why did you have to go? I need you!"_

 _Hans was so caught up in crying that he didn't notice someone kneel down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder._

" _I'm so sorry, Hans," the voice said._

 _Hans looked at the person beside him, and was shocked to see who it was. Princess Ruby of Labraza, kneeling beside him, offering her condolences. Hans had seen her a few times since the events of the ball, but he hadn't spoken to her. He was too upset by her actions with Edward to do so. Ruby felt awful for what she did to Hans that night, and since then had been trying her best to restore her friendship with him. She cut ties with Edward shortly after the dance, knowing that he was the reason why Hans hated her so much._

 _It wasn't too long before another Westergaard caught her eye; Hans' oldest brother, Richard. He was a good man; strong, intelligent, and well-spoken. It was Richard who convinced Ruby that it was no use trying to restore her friendship with Hans. He was a stubborn boy, who wouldn't relent to anyone. She had been dating Richard for over a year now, enjoying every moment she spent with the man. But as much as she loved Richard, she still couldn't help but feel sorry for what she did to Hans. She knew deep down in her heart that even though he wasn't the one for her, she shouldn't end their relationship on such a bad note. Ruby knew that she had to win back his trust one way or another._

 _Upon seeing Ruby, Hans stood up and walked away, but Ruby wasn't going to let him get away this time._

" _Hans wait! She cried, grabbing him by the arm._

" _Let go of me, Ruby! I want to be alone!" he spat._

" _Hans, please listen to me! I'm sorry for your loss! I'm here for you if you need it! Please talk to me like we used too! Remember? We used to tell each other everything. I'm sorry for what I did at the ball that night that was very deceitful of me. But that doesn't mean we can't still be friends!"_

 _Hans stopped, and turned around, tears glistening in his eyes. "Friends? Is that all I am to you Ruby, a friend? Well, guess what, I wanted more than that Ruby. I loved you! More than you could ever imagine! And you went and screwed me over like that! And now you've got another one of my brother's wrapped around your delicate little finger. It's like you enjoy tormenting me!"_

" _Hans, I know how you feel, but I don't feel the same way. Richard is a good man, he understands me, and has always been there for me when I need him."_

" _Yeah, why don't you get him to show you his true colors some time, see how you like him then? You know what, I'm wasting my breath. You're clearly head over heels with the man, so I might as well just let you enjoy it. You two deserve each other."_

 _Hans turned away, and started walking faster back to the palace. He could hear Ruby cry out from behind him, but he ignored her. He had said what he wanted to say, and that was that. He didn't want to see or hear from Princess Ruby ever again. It was true that deep down he still harbored feelings for the princess, but those feelings were buried under a mountain of hatred. He didn't need love, he didn't need family, all he needed was himself. He could achieve whatever he set his mind to in life, no matter what it was. The prince vowed to show everyone what he was capable of; the intellect and the skills he possessed, combined with his fierce will was enough to make the whole world tremble at his feet. And he would show them no mercy when the time came. They screwed him over countless times before, they didn't deserve it. He was his own man, made stronger from his wounds, and even more deadly with his ambition._

* * *

Since finding the cabin in the woods, Hans and Anna's life on the island had improved greatly. Hans used the rifle to hunt several small animals for eating, and the fireplace also served as a helpful tool for cooking the meat as well. Anna had concluded that the cabin must have been abandoned a long time ago, but why they left all their things behind was unknown. Her relationship with Hans had greatly improved as well since the prince gave his heartfelt apology. No longer did the two bicker at each other, and actually engaged in positive conversations for a change.

Hans tried to keep the feelings he had for Anna suppressed, knowing full well that she wasn't interested in him romantically, but it was proving to be difficult. Every time he saw her, he felt the same wave of passion overtake him. How he wanted so much to cradle her in his arms, and kiss away any fears she had. But he knew that if he tried anything, Anna would surely reject him. It was hard, and Hans didn't know how much longer he could take it.

"I'm sick of coconut water," Anna said, after taking a sip from a coconut shell.

"Well, unfortunately that's all we have to drink," Hans explained. "Unless you want to drink salt water."

"No thanks. But I would love a nice glass of lemonade right now."

"If I find any lemons on the island, I'll see what I can do," Hans promised.

"Where are you going to get the sugar?" Anna asked.

Hans smiled. She got him on that one. "Ok. So maybe it would just be plain lemon juice. Still, that's as close as we're going to get to actual lemonade."

Hans took a seat beside Anna, who was currently reading the copy of Robinson Crusoe that they had found.

"I've never been much of a reader, but this is a good book," she said.

"I told you. I've read it over a dozen times, and it never gets old."

"Elsa was always the reader in the family. She told me that during the years we were kept apart, that's practically all she did." Anna gave a heavy sigh, and turned the page.

"Something wrong?" Hans asked.

"I just miss her so much," Anna said. "I just got her back after years of being separating from her, and now once again, we're separated. It's like the world doesn't want us to be together."

Hans felt a twinge of guilt at what he heard. He knew full well that he was to blame for Anna and Elsa's current separation. He never realized just how close the sisters were until he spent time with Anna on the island. Elsa was the only family Anna had left. And to have been cut off from your own family member for thirteen years, only to lose them again so soon after you got them back, must be devastating for Anna.

Hans felt more guilt as he thought about the rowboat he had destroyed a few days earlier. That was their ticket to freedom, and he ruined it because he wanted to be with Anna. Was it wrong of him to do that? Were his actions selfish? Was he denying Anna the right to see her sister, simply because he now regretted what he had done? He remembered something his mother once told him long ago. "If you really love someone, you'll want them to be happy no matter what."

Hans truly wanted Anna to be happy, but he wanted her to be happy with him. He knew that this wasn't the ideal lifestyle for Anna, but it wasn't so bad. In the past month and half, they had adjusted well to life on the island. Now they even had their own little home! Anna could be happy here if she just opened her heart to him. He could never be Elsa, but he could give her the same amount of love that she could. If only she would give him a chance. Hans moved closer and wrapped his arm around her, offering the same comfort that she had given him earlier.

"I'm so sorry, Anna. But don't be sad, you can be happy here with me. I know this place isn't Arendelle, but it could be your home if you just give it a chance. If you just give me a chance."

Anna looked at him; tears glistening in her eyes. She shook her head.

"Hans, I accepted your apology, but that doesn't mean that I love you. I've made it clear that Kristoff will always be my true love, and that Arendelle will always be my home. You can't change the past, Hans. You can only look to the future. And I know that my future lies in Arendelle with Elsa, Kristoff, and my people. Not here on this island. Somehow, I know that we won't be trapped her forever. Someone will come along and rescue us. I know it!"

Hans sighed; as much as he loved Anna's optimism, he knew that she had her hopes way too high.

"Anna, we've been here for over a month, and we still have yet to see a single ship. What makes you think that one will suddenly appear out of the blue?"

"Because I know that Elsa is looking for me. She knows that I'm still out there, and won't rest until she finds me."

"I hope that that's true," Hans whispered.

"It is true, and when we're recused, I'll return to Arendelle, and never again will I leave my family's side."

"What about me?" Hans asked, curious to hear her response.

Anna remained quiet for a minute, thinking about how to best respond to Hans' question. Truthfully, she hadn't thought about what would happen to the prince once they were rescued. By now Hans' treachery was probably exposed, and the moment his people got their hands on him, he would be severely punished. Even though she'd forgiven him, there was nothing she could say that would erase the past.

"You'll probably be sent to prison," Anna answered truthfully.

Hans frowned at this, knowing full well that she was probably right.

"You did after all kidnap me. Someone who has done that isn't going to be set free."

"Can't you convince them? Elsa, I mean. Can't you convince her that I've changed, and that I'm not the man I used to be? You're her sister after all."

Anna shook her head. "I doubt that she'd listen to me. Elsa loves me dearly, so much that she'd punish anyone who tried to hurt me."

Again Hans felt the guilt returning, this time even stronger than before. What had he done? He had robbed an innocent woman of the things that meant the most to her, all for some sick, twisted idea of revenge. Arendelle meant nothing to him now. All he wanted was for Anna to be happy. But by destroying their only chance of escaping the island, he had once again robbed her of that happiness. Hans knew that he couldn't reveal to Anna what he had done, not just after she had forgiven him. She would go right back to hating him again, he knew it.

There was only one thing Hans could do. He would make Anna as happy as he could on the island, whether she loved him or not. He would do his best to give her the love that she so desperately needed. And if by some unexpected turn of events, that they should be rescued, Hans would take his punishment like a man. He deserved all that he got; he had done terrible things, and a simple apology wasn't enough to make up for what he had done.

That night, Hans dreamed of him and Anna together on the island, years from now. He saw the two of them, much older, and in love. They had added on to their log cabin, making it bigger than before. The two sat beside the fire together, wrapped in each other's embrace, cherishing the moment. He awoke from the dream when he heard the sounds of someone coming closer to him.

He opened his eyes, and there in the dim light of the fire, he saw Anna. Her eyes were wide open, and she had blankets wrapped tight around her.

"I had a nightmare," she said. "It was a bad one. When I was little, whenever I had nightmares, I would crawl into Elsa's bed, and we would sleep together. That always made feel safer, just to have someone next to me. Do you mind if I sleep next to you?

"Of course," Hans said without question.

Anna scooted closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder, and wrapping her arms around his body. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Hans answered, his voice barely a whisper.

As Anna drifted off to sleep, Hans gazed down at the princess in his arms. There was no denying that he enjoyed what was happening right now. Anna had trusted him enough to allow him to sleep next to her. It was incredible! Hans ran a hand through Anna's strawberry blonde hair, embracing its silky texture. She looked like an angel sleeping soundly, Hans couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was so beautiful, so perfect. And as he continued to stare at her, Hans felt his eyes growing tired, and soon closed them as well, letting the night take over.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that was an interesting chapter to write. I hope you all enjoyed this one! More suspense to come soon!**


	16. True Colors

Chapter 16:

True Colors

 **A/N: This is a bit of a dark chapter just to warn you.**

* * *

The next morning, Richard was up bright and early to meet with Queen Elsa. He knew that today was his last chance to impress her, so he had to make a good impression. Upon entering the council room, he called out cheerfully to her.

"Good morning, Queen Elsa! How are you on this fine day?"

Elsa smiled, remembering to be polite. "I'm fine, Prince Richard. Let's get started, shall we?"

"Of course."

Richard took a seat beside Elsa at the table. In front of her were several documents detailing the trading agreement between the Southern Isles, and Arendelle. Elsa went through each one, explaining the terms and conditions of their trade.

"Now, for the time being, we just need wood and tools. If we need anything else, I'll be sure to write to your father. Likewise, if you need anything from us, just do the same. Now if you'll sign here on the dotted line, then we can make everything official."

Richard took the quill from Elsa's hand, and slowly signed his name at the bottom. The entire time he did so however, he didn't take his eyes off of Elsa. God she was beautiful; more than any man could dream of. Elsa quickly noticed his gazing, and called him out on it.

"Is there something you want to say, Prince Richard?" she asked firmly.

"Why, yes there is," Richard said, putting the quill back in the ink bottle.

"Queen Elsa, how would you like to accompany me on the town tonight? We can have dinner together, go for a boat ride, and maybe even see a play!"

"Thank you for your offer, Richard, but I must decline. As I told you before, I'm not interested in pursuing romantic relationship at this time."

"Oh come now, it'll be fun! Just the two of us, sailing beside each other in the moonlight. What do you say?"

"The answer is still no, Prince Richard. And I would greatly appreciate it if you stop asking me," Elsa stated firmly, hoping that the annoying prince would get the message. She didn't want to tell him the other reason why she wasn't interested in him, because she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Richard was much too old for Elsa, twice her age as a matter of fact. If she was looking to start a relationship with someone, she would much prefer to find someone close to her age.

"I'm sorry, Queen Elsa. I do apologize. I was just hoping to get to know you better that's all," Richard explained.

"We can get to know each other better without going on a date," Elsa reasoned. "Now that we're trading partners, we'll be hearing a lot more from each other. I look forward to doing business with you and the Southern Isles in the future."

She reached out a hand, and Richard gently shook it. Despite his apology, Elsa could tell that he was still fixated on her. As the two shook hands, Richard smiled ominously at her, eyeing her as if she were a piece of candy waiting to be eaten.

"If you'll excuse me, Richard, I have other things that I need to attend too. I'll see you at dinner this evening."

Elsa exited the council room, leaving Richard behind to mull over what just happened. Still playing hard to get, huh? We'll you can only play that card for so long, Queen Elsa. Sooner or later, your walls will come tumbling down.

* * *

The rest of Elsa's day went by just as it normally did. She attended several more meetings with the council, wrote letters, and even had her daily lunch with Kristoff. Since it was such a nice day out, Elsa thought they should eat outside in the courtyard. She had a table set up, along with some chairs, so they could enjoy their meal together. Elsa looked forward to having lunch with Kristoff. It was the perfect time for the two to catch up on what the other was doing. However, today Kristoff didn't feel like talking much. He said a few words here and there, but for the most part, his mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"So I just finished the last of my paperwork for the day. I got done early, isn't that a surprise?" Elsa said, telling Kristoff about her day.

"Wow! That is!" Kristoff said, looking off into space.

"Kristoff, did you even hear what I just told you?"

"Of course I did. You said that you got to bed early last night."

Elsa frowned. It was clear that he wasn't listening.

"Kristoff, I said that I got my work done early for the day! Why aren't you paying attention?"

"I'm sorry, Elsa. I just have some things on my mind," he confessed.

"Like what?" the Snow Queen asked.

"Prince Richard for one thing. The guy is a creep," Kristoff spat, not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice.

"I know he's a little annoying, but Kristoff he's really not a bad guy. He cares about Arendelle, and wants the best for us. Besides, he'll be gone by tomorrow."

Kristoff snorted. "Not soon enough, if you ask me. Haven't you seen the way he's been flirting with you? It's like he just doesn't know when to quit."

"I know what you mean, and I've taken care of it," Elsa assured. "I told him straight up this morning that I wasn't interested in a relationship, and that I wanted him to back off."

"And what did he say to that?"

"He agreed, and apologized. I don't think he's going to flirt with me again anytime soon."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Kristoff muttered under his breath.

Elsa knew that she had no reason to worry about Prince Richard. Like she told Kristoff, he was a good man, albeit an annoying one. And he had kindly offered to supply Arendelle with the things they needed to rebuild the orphanage. What more could she ask for? After finishing her meal, Elsa excused herself and went back to her room to do a little reading. Elsa loved to read, but she had rarely had anytime to free read since she was busy reading other more important things. Upon entering her room, she walked over to the bookshelf, and picked out a book. It was "Gulliver's Travels" one of her personal favorites. She took a seat in her chair, and flipped the book open to the first chapter. But before she could enjoy the novel's contents, she heard her door swing open. She looked up and saw Richard standing there with a rose in his hand.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Queen Elsa, but I just wanted to give you this. Consider it a gift, for all that you're doing for the Southern Isles in opening a trading partnership with us."

Elsa smiled, and took the rose from Richard's hand. "Thank you, Prince Richard, you didn't have to do that."

"Oh but I did. You're a special woman, Queen Elsa, and like I said, you deserve the very best."

Richard was now uncomfortably close to Elsa. He placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it gently in small circles. He smiled as he looked into Elsa's eyes, again eyeing her like she was some kind of treat. Elsa was beginning to feel uncomfortable in Richard's presence. His constant staring, coupled with his flirtatious behavior, was too unnerving for her to handle.

"I think it's time you leave, Prince Richard," she said as politely as he could. But Richard didn't move. He continued to stare at her, not once blinking his eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Elsa," he finally said. "You're enough to make every man in the world go crazy with passion. Kiss me."

"What? Elsa asked, pretending she didn't hear what she thought she heard.

"Kiss me, my love. Let me take you in my arms, and show you just how special you truly are." Richard leaned forward, and kissed Elsa on the mouth with great power, forcing his tongue inside her. Elsa stood up, and pushed him back with all of her might.

"What the hell are you doing? I told you I wasn't interested! When someone says no, it means no. Leave this instant!" she demanded.

"Don't act like you don't want it, Elsa." Richard said stepping closer to her.

Now Elsa was getting scared. Frost was forming on the walls in her room, and icicles protruded out from the floor. She had to remain calm, she couldn't let her powers get out of control again.

"I'll make you feel like a real woman," Richard said, taking off his belt. "Just relax, and let me in!"

Not wasting another second, Elsa darted for the door, but Richard was quick, and pounced on top of her before she could reach it.

"Get off me! Get off me!" she cried.

Richard turned Elsa around to face him. He forced himself on her again, kissing her lips, and slowly moving his mouth down her body. Elsa tried to push him off, but the prince was just too strong. She thought about using her powers in self-defense, but quickly decided against it. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt someone. There had to be another way.

"Richard, let go of me!" she cried, trying to squirm out of his grasp. Richard ignored her, and continued to leave a trail of kisses down her neck, all the way to her breasts. He let out a loud moan of pleasure as he began licking at her skin.

"Somebody, help me!" she screamed. More frost formed on the ceiling, causing a small snowfall to occur.

Her cry got Richard's attention. He smacked her across the face as hard as could, hoping it would silence her.

"Shut up, bitch!" He yelled.

Richard began to tear Elsa's dress off, revealing her undergarments underneath. By now Elsa was too petrified to speak, but her will to fight was far from dormant. She managed to lift her fist out from under her, and delivered a powerful punch to Richard's face, causing his mouth to bleed. But the attack did little good. Richard quickly recovered from the blow, and stared to tear at Elsa's undergarments. Elsa reached up a hand to deliver another punch, but Richard saw it coming, and pinned her arm down.

"Oh I'm going to enjoy this!" he sneered. Pinned down, and no help in sight, Elsa knew what was coming next. Kristoff was right: Richard wasn't a man to trust; all this time he didn't care about Arendelle, he only wanted her. Oh what a fool she had been! She should have known that he was just as despicable as his brother.

"I'm going to show you what I really man feels like," Richard sneered. As Richard was about to remove her last piece of clothing, the door swung open, and in came Kristoff, brandishing a pistol.

"Get off of her, you sick freak!" he screamed.

Knowing that Kristoff had the upper hand, Richard stood up, and slowly backed away. Kristoff continued to point the pistol toward him, ready to pull the trigger if he tried anything clever. With his other hand, Kristoff helped Elsa off the floor.

"Elsa, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Kristoff. Thank you," she said as calmly as she could manage. Two guards emerged from behind him, and quickly apprehended Richard.

Kristoff took off his jacket, and wrapped it around Elsa.

"Thank you," she said.

Kristoff again pointed the pistol at Richard's head, strongly tempted to fire.

"I knew were nothing but trouble!" he spat. "You're just like you're brother."

When Elsa finally got her strength back, she placed a hand on Kristoff's arm, urging him to lower the gun. The ice harvester reluctantly did so, still worried that Richard might try something.

Elsa walked towards Richard, and stared solemnly into his eyes.

"Prince Richard of the Southern Isles, you are hereby banished from the kingdom of Arendelle. You and anyone else from your country is no longer welcome here. And as far our trade agreement goes, consider it annulled."

"Take him to the dungeons," she said to the guards.

The guards gripped tight to Richard, and forcefully escorted him out of the room, leaving Kristoff and Elsa alone to themselves.

"Elsa, I am so sorry," Kristoff began to say, but she cut him off.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Kristoff. You were right all along. I was the one who trusted Richard. I was the one who made the mistake. If you hadn't come when you did he… Elsa couldn't say the words, instead she dropped to her knees, crying fiercely.

Kristoff knelt down beside her, and wrapped his arms around her. "It's Ok," he said, knowing full well that it wasn't. Elsa had just been through another traumatic experience, so soon after Anna's death as well. This one would take a long time to heal from. She was just seconds away from being violated by a man who she had welcomed into her kingdom. He couldn't imagine how that must feel. Kristoff helped Elsa to her feet, and walked her over to her bed. The Snow Queen slowly wrapped the blankets around her.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Kristoff asked.

Elsa shook her head. "I'm fine. Just do one thing for me."

"What's that?"

"Please stay with me!" she said, tears pouring down her face.

"Of course," Kristoff agreed, and sat on the bed next to her. "Don't worry, Elsa. I won't anyone hurt you. Try to get some rest. I'll be here the whole time, I promise."

Elsa slowly closed her eyes, feeling safe knowing that Kristoff was there to protect her.

She knew that she couldn't trust anyone ever again.

* * *

 **A/N: If you thought this was suspenseful, just wait til the next few chapters. Thanks again for the reviews!**


	17. An Unlikely Encounter

Chapter 17:

An Unlikely Encounter

 **A/N: We're getting closer to the finale! Just a few more chapters, and then an epilogue! In the meantime, enjoy this latest chapter!**

* * *

Early the next morning, Richard was released from the dungeons, and put on a ship back to the Southern Isles. Captain Nicholas assured Elsa that Richard would be punished for his crimes as soon as they returned home. Still deeply traumatized by what had happened, Elsa decided not to go down to the fjord and see Richard off. Instead, she watched from the window in her room. She saw two men escorting Richard onto the ship. His hands were tied behind his back with rope. Once the ship set sail, and disappeared onto the horizon, Elsa let out a sigh of relief.

"Good riddance" she said out loud.

"I'll say," Kristoff agreed.

"Kristoff, I can't thank you enough for what you did. If you hadn't come along…

Kristoff cut her off, knowing that talking about the whole ordeal would only make things worse. He pulled her close to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's alright, Elsa. He's gone now. He'll never hurt you or Arendelle ever again."

Elsa wept into the ice harvester's shirt, letting her tears pour down like rain. She wanted to believe Kristoff's words, but a part of her was doubtful. What if Richard sought revenge? What if he led an entire army to wipe out Arendelle? Even with her powers, Elsa doubted she stop them all. Moreover, she didn't want a war to begin with! She didn't want to hurt anyone, even if they were the enemy. Taking a human life was simply too much to bear. She couldn't live with her self if she ever did something that heinous.

Elsa walked over to the window, and looked out at the fjord. She could no longer see the ship, but for some reason she still felt its presence. She could still feel Richard's rough hands touching her body, and the taste of his lips as he forced himself onto her.

Frost started to form on the walls in the room, signaling that Elsa was still very much afraid. Kristoff was quick to intervene.

"Elsa, there's no need to be afraid anymore. He's gone!"

"For how long, Kristoff!" she spat back at him.

"How long until he or one of his other twisted brothers comes back to get revenge! If the Southern Isles couldn't hold Hans back, then they certainly won't be able to succeed with Richard either."

"The Southern Isles has caused more pain and suffering to me than anybody in the entire world. A part of me wants to get revenge myself for what they've done, and to avenge Anna, but another part of me is against the idea. I couldn't take a life, Kristoff. I just couldn't."

"I know that. You're a good person, Elsa."

"How? I avoided my sister for thirteen years, nearly killed her twice, froze the entire kingdom of Arendelle, and I let a psychopath into my home! Tell me how that makes me a good person!"

Elsa was crying profusely with every word she spoke. Kristoff knew that he had to tread gently in this situation. One wrong word could make everything worse.

"Elsa, you are best queen Arendelle has ever had. You're kind, patient, loyal, and smart. You put the needs of your people before your own, and you always try to do the right thing, no matter what the situation is. People make mistakes, Elsa. Nobody's perfect. It's through these mistakes that we learn new things, and that in turn makes us a better person. I know that Anna wouldn't want you doubting yourself for one second. She believed in you, Elsa, even when nobody else did. She never gave up on you because she believed in the goodness that's inside of you. You've got a heart of gold, Elsa, and don't you ever forget it."

Elsa was touched by the ice harvester's words. She never knew until recently just how wise the man truly was. Anna sure had found someone special.

She turned back towards him, and gave a small smile. "Thank you, Kristoff. For never giving up on me."

"Wouldn't even dream of it," Kristoff replied, flashing a smile of his own. "I know you're still deeply traumatized by what happened with Richard, and I understand that it'll take you some time to get past it. But don't let it ruin your life, Elsa. Do what you know you have to do, what Anna would have wanted you to do. Be the best queen you can be, and overcome any challenges that come your way. That's all we could ever ask of you."

Elsa felt a wave of positive energy flowing through her. For the first time since the Great Thaw, Elsa felt truly confident in herself. Though she would always miss Anna dearly, she knew that Kristoff was right when he said that there is no point in dwelling on the past. You had to look to the future.

She walked closer to the ice harvester, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, showing her appreciation for all that he had done.

"Thank you, Kristoff. You're a wonderful man, and a true friend."

Kristoff took one of Elsa's hands in his own, and gently squeezed it. "I'm always here if you need anything," he promised. "I won't ever abandon you."

"Thank you," Elsa repeated. It was all she could say, but she meant it with every beat of her heart.

* * *

One afternoon, Hans and Anna sat in the cabin eating lunch together. As they did so, they talked about their childhoods some more, and some of the fond memories they had.

"I remember when I was eight I tried sliding down the railing on the staircase, but I fell off before I got to the bottom, and hit my head on one of the stairs."

"I bet that hurt," Hans said.

"Oh! You have no idea! I had a headache for two days straight! But that didn't stop me for trying again. Eventually, after many failed attempts, I was finally able to slide all the way down to the bottom without falling off. It was a true accomplishment if I do say so myself."

"At first you don't succeed, try, try again," Hans said.

"You got that right."

"Hey! It's such a nice day out, what do you say we take a trip up to the mountaintop? We haven't done so in quite a while?" Hans suggested.

"That sounds lovely. I would love to see that gorgeous view again!" Anna said. "Just let me go pack a few things before we go."

With that, Anna left the table and went into the adjacent room to pack supplies for their trip, leaving Hans alone to himself.

Things are finally going smoothly, he thought to himself. Not only does Anna trust me, but she actually wants to do things with me. It's incredible!

But the guilt of his actions still lingered in the back of Hans' mind. He knew that sooner or later he would have to tell Anna what he did to the rowboat, and he wasn't looking forward to it. But it had to be done, and he had to take the consequences like a man, whatever they may be. If Anna returned to hating him, so be it. After all he had done, he deserved it anyway.

"Ok. Already to go!" Anna called out. She had packed a knapsack full of fruit and coconut shells to take up to the mountain. "I figured we would have a little picnic once we got there!"

"But we just had lunch!" Hans pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry!" Anna explained. "Come on, let's go!"

Hans grabbed his pistol for protection, and the two left the cabin, making their way up to the top of the mountain.

* * *

As the ship sailed through the sea, Richard kept to himself in his cabin. He dreaded going back to the Southern Isles after what he had done. He knew that his father would never let him hear the end of it. For all he knew, Richard had started a war when he attempted to rape Queen Elsa.

Richard felt no remorse for his actions, instead he belittled himself for not planning things better. He should have brought his gun that night. That way, he would be able to defend off that stupid ice harvester. Elsa also would have likely submitted to him. With a gun pointed in her face, she wouldn't dream of fighting back, unless she really wanted a bullet in her head. Richard sat up on his bed, reached down under it, and pulled his pistol out. He checked it to make sure it was fully loaded, and then exited his cabin. Unlike his brother, who had been thrown in the brig after being exposed for the criminal that he was, Richard was allowed to move about freely. He had assumed this had something to do with his being the Crowned Prince of the Southern Isles.

Richard walked out onto the main deck, and looked out at the horizon. They would be back in the Southern Isles in a few hours, and he could already hear his father cursing him. Truth be told, Richard did not feel like returning home at the moment. It wasn't just because of his recent actions either, he was sick of the Southern Isles and needed a change of location. Suddenly, he remembered an island off the East coast that he had purchased several years earlier. It was a large, deserted island, but a pretty one nonetheless. He had a log cabin built there so that he could stay on the island for as long as he wanted too. It was a nice home away from home. However, he hadn't been there in a couple of years, so he had no idea if the cabin was still standing. Still, it couldn't hurt to look. Richard made his way to the bridge, and found Captain Nicholas.

"Captain, I wish to change our course," he stated firmly.

"I'm afraid I have to decline your wish, Your Majesty. After what just occurred, I promised Queen Elsa that I would return you to the Southern Isles immediately."

"Have you forgotten who I am?" Richard hissed, but Captain Nicholas stood his ground.

"I am very aware of who you are, Prince Richard. I'm also very aware of what you tried to do to Queen Elsa while you were in Arendelle. In light of what has happened, you should return home, and face the consequences of your actions."

Richard opened his mouth to speak, but then he got an idea. He knew that Captain Nicholas didn't get paid much, so when he pulled several gold coins from his pocket, he knew the captain wouldn't be able to resist.

"I'll you twenty gold pieces if you take me to an island on the East Coast," he promised. "I wish to stay there for a few days, recovering from what has happened.

When Captain Nicholas saw the money in Richard's hand, he almost fainted. That was more than he had seen in his entire lifetime. He knew that what Richard did to Queen Elsa was wrong, and he definitely should be punished, but what was the hurry in getting back to the Southern Isles so soon? King Daniel wasn't going anywhere, and time didn't change what Richard did. Without thinking twice, Captain Nicholas accepted the money, and Richard informed him of the route to take.

It wasn't long before the island came upon the horizon. It was just as beautiful as Richard remembered it to be. Captain Nicholas steered the ship as close to the beach as he could, then ordered several crew members to drop the anchor. Once it was done, Richard quickly made his way off the ship, and stepped onto the beach.

"Nothing like a little sand and sunshine to put you in a good mood," he commented. "Men, bring all of my things from my room, and follow me. I'm moving in."

* * *

Up on the mountaintop, Hans and Anna feasted on mixed fruit, and coconut water. Hans now knew what Anna meant when she said that she was sick of the stuff. If they ever did get off the island, he would certainly never drink it ever again.

"I would love a glass of wine, right now" he said.

"Why? So you can make this picnic more romantic?" Anna teased.

"That, and I really want a glass of wine," Hans teased back. Anna laughed; she enjoyed his company, something she thought was never possible. As the two continued to eat their meal, Anna looked off into the horizon, thinking about all that had occurred on the island.

"We've been here for two months now," Anna stated. "I wonder how much the world has changed."

"It's hard to say. Life does change pretty quickly though. It's amazing how different our lives are now. I never thought it would end up this way."

"It's just like in "Robinson Crusoe" Anna pointed out. "Thus we never see the true state of our condition till it is illustrated to us by its contraries, nor know how to value what we enjoy, but by the want of it" she said, quoting directly from the book.

Hans smiled. "So very true. You don't know what you have until it's gone."

"I wonder if Kristoff has found someone else," she pondered out load.

Deep down, Hans wished that that had happened, but he knew that it was wrong. He wanted Anna to be happy more than anything. And if that happiness came from loving another man, so be it.

As Anna finished eating another piece of fruit, she looked down over the mountain, and nearly shrieked at what she saw.

"A ship! A ship! A ship! Hans there's a ship here!"

Hans leaned over himself and saw the ship down below. It was hard to tell where it had come from, but that didn't matter at the moment. It was a ship, and would get them off this island!

"Come on, we have to go down now!" Anna cried. She instantly threw the knapsack around her, and started to descend down the mountain. Hans took his time; knowing that there was really no rush for him. He'd probably be arrested the second they were spotted. Once they reached the bottom, Anna darted ahead, racing towards the cabin. After all this time, her prayers were answered.

* * *

As Richard entered the cabin, he knew instantly that something was off. He saw that his hunting rifle had been removed, and now lay against the wall. On the table was the copy of "Robinson Crusoe" that he had kept in a chest. Had someone been here? He looked around the cabin, and saw other tell tales signs that the cabin was recently used by someone.

He found the skins of fruits, and empty coconut shells in the corner. The blankets and pillows that he had kept stored away, were sprawled out all over the floor. In the other room, he found a large knife sitting on the chair. He picked it up and examined it. The craftsmanship reminded him a lot of the ones made back in the Southern Isles.

As he looked over the knife some more, the door to the cabin opened, but he didn't pay much attention to it, assuming it was just one of the crew members bringing in his things. Upon hearing a loud gasp, he turned around and saw a man and a woman standing in the doorway. Richard's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when he realized who they were. Princess Anna of Arendelle, and his youngest brother, Hans! They were alive after all this time!

* * *

 **A/N: Ouch. Now that is what I call a cliffhanger. Big things in store for our heroes. Stay tuned, for more suspense!**


	18. Rescue?

**Chapter 18:**

 **Rescue?**

 **A/N: And the finale begins! Enjoy!**

* * *

Hans and Anna stood and watched as the man in the cabin walked toward them. Anna looked like she was going to burst with happiness, but Hans' reaction on the other hand, was one of mixed feelings. He was glad that someone was here, and could take Anna back to Arendelle, but he was dismayed to see that it was his brother of all people who had found them. When Richard came face to face with the two, he smiled.

"My word, Princess Anna, and my dear brother, Hans, alive after all this time."

"Who are you? And how did you find us?" Anna asked, the excitement still prevalent in her voice.

"My name is Prince Richard of the Southern Isles. I'm Hans' older brother. I own this island. A few years ago I had this log cabin built here as a place for me to stay when I visit. I hadn't been in a long time, and I figured I would visit for a few days as a sort of vacation."

Hans snorted. That figured as much. Only Richard could afford to purchase an entire island.

"I can't tell you how happy we are to see you," Anna said. "We've been stranded here for two months! We've had to learn how to survive on our own. Thankfully, Hans was here with me. I honestly don't know what I would have done without him."

Hans smiled, causing Richard to chuckle.

"With all due respect, Princess Anna, have you forgotten what this man did to you?"

"I understand that, Prince Richard, and for the longest time I hated him for what he had done. But he's changed since then, he's a different man now."

"Oh really?" Richard asked ominously.

"Tell me dear brother, how long have you been living in this cabin?"

"A couple weeks," Hans answered softly.

"Really? And all that time you didn't once bother to use the rowboat to escape?"

Hans' face turned bright red; he looked at Anna who was staring curiously back at him.

"Rowboat? Hans what's he talking about?" she asked.

Hans fought for the urge to speak, but for some reason couldn't find the words. Richard was quick to notice this, and smiled mischievously at his brother.

"Yes, I have a rowboat out back in case of emergencies. Come, I'll show you!"

Hans opened his mouth to speak, but Anna and Richard were already making their way out back. He followed them, dreading what would come next.

When the three arrived in the backyard, they saw the shattered remains of the wooden rowboat.

"What? What happened here? What did you do to my rowboat? Richard cried, picking up a piece of wood.

"Hans, what is all this?" Anna asked, her voice stern this time.

Hans couldn't bear to look Anna in the eye. He hung his head low, and looked at the ground, hating himself for what he'd done. There was no use in lying now; the truth was out, so he might as well confess.

"A few weeks ago, I found a wooden rowboat in the back of the cabin. At the time I was so madly in love with you, that I didn't want to lose you. I knew that if we rowed back to the nearest mainland, you would be taken away from me, and I would lose you forever. I didn't want that to happen. So I destroyed the rowboat, so that I could be with you."

Anna gasped, and put a hand to her mouth. Tears started to fill her eyes as the man she had recently forgiven revealed his latest dastardly deed. Hans hadn't changed. He was still the conniving, selfish prince that he always was.

"You bastard! I could be back in Arendelle with my sister right now if it wasn't for you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Anna screamed. She pounded her fists against Hans's chest with as much force as she could, all the while crying profusely. "You must live to make my life a living hell!"

Richard came forward, and put his arm around Anna. "It's alright, Princess Anna, I'm here now, and we'll get you home soon. Let's go inside for a bit."

Richard led the way back into the cabin, Hans following close at his heel. "Anna, please listen to me, I know what I did was wrong now. It was selfish and…

"You're damn right it was selfish!" Richard spat, comforting Anna, who was crying on his shoulder. "It's always been about you, Hans! You don't care about anyone, but yourself! Look at the torment that you've inflicted on this poor young woman! You should rot in the dungeons for the rest of your days! And that's exactly what's going to happen. When we return to the Southern Isles, and I tell father all that has happened, you my dear brother, will never walk free ever again! As soon as my men get here, I'm placing you under arrest for kidnapping. You will rue the day you were born!"

Hans knew that he was right. He had committed a horrible act, and his destroying the rowboat only made his crime even more appalling. Remembering what he promised to Anna days earlier, Hans surrendered to Richard, willing to except the punishment for what he had done.

The door to the cabin swung open, and in walked a crew member named Jacob. In his hand he held a large bag, containing Richard's personal things.

"Where should I put this, Your Majesty? Princess Anna, Prince Hans, you're alive! He cried upon seeing the two in the cabin. Jacob stopped talking when he saw Richard cradling Princess Anna in his arms. Knowing full well what Richard had tried to do to Queen Elsa earlier, Jacob rushed to Anna's side, knocking Richard backwards.

"Princess Anna, get away from him," he said, pulling her to the other side of the room.

"What? What's going on?" Anna asked confused.

"Richard is not to be trusted, certainly not after what he did to your sister back in Arendelle."

"What are you talking about? What happened to Elsa?"

"Prince Richard attempted to rape her," Jacob said bluntly. Anna let out a horrified gasp as she looked at the man who had been cradling her in his arms only moments ago. He stood perfectly still, brushing the dust off his clothes. Richard was just as bad as Hans, if not worse! Was there anyone she could trust?"

"Richard had a thing for Queen Elsa, and when she rejected his advances, he forced himself upon her. Fortunately, Kristoff Bjorgman was there to save her before he could do anything."

"Furthermore, Queen Elsa….

Bang.

Before Jacob could finish his sentence, a bullet had struck him right in the head, killing him instantly. The blood spattered over the walls, and all over Anna. Jacob collapsed on the floor, his head bleeding profusely. Anna and Hans looked on in horror as they saw Richard holding a pistol in his hand; a wicked smile on his face.

"That's quite enough of that," he said.

"You…you tried to rape my sister!" Anna screamed. She had been mad before, but never this angry. The thought of this vile man putting his hands over Elsa, sent her into a furious state of rage. And now, he had proven himself to be even viler by killing one of his crew members. Anna always thought Hans was the bad seed in the family, but clearly he wasn't the only one.

"Don't you come near me again, you sick freak!" she cried.

Richard chuckled again. Anna was just as amusing as her sister.

"Where's the ship? Wait until I tell the others what you just did," she said, gesturing to Jacob's lifeless body. "You'll be joining Hans for the rest of your life in prison!"

Anna darted for the cabin door, but Richard was one step ahead of her. He grabbed her by the hair, and pulled her back. Anna struggled as hard as she could, but Richard's grip was too tight. She relented when she saw him point the pistol in here face.

"You say one more word, and you'll end up just like poor Jacob here," Richard hissed.

Hans couldn't stand by and do nothing anymore. Richard was out of control, and needed to be stopped. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to Anna. She had been through enough already, and another kidnapping at the hands of his own flesh in blood was too much to bear. He leapt forward, charging at Richard. But it was a foolish mistake.

Richard pointed the gun toward him, and fired a single shot, hitting Hans directly in the right shoulder. Hans collapsed to the floor of the cabin, howling in pain. He had never been shot before, but it hurt like nothing he could have ever imagined. As Hans lay on the floor pressing a hand to his wound, Richard stood and watched with Anna in his grasp, chuckling loudly.

"I could just go ahead and finish you here, Hans," he explained. "But I think that's much too merciful."

Richard reached into his pocket, and pulled out a match. He ran the match against the wall of the cabin, and held it in front of Hans so he could see.

"Goodbye, Hans. Say hi to mom for me, will you?"

Richard threw the match on the blankets, lying on the floor, instantly setting the cabin on fire.

"And now my dear, what do you say we go to some place more romantic?" Richard sneered at Anna.

"What are you doing? You can't just let him burn to death!" Anna cried. Despite the hatred she felt for Hans, she didn't think that he deserved to die.

"Just watch me," he said. He opened the door, and threw Anna outside, all the while keeping the gun pointed at her.

Before leaving, he walked over to Hans, and smiled at him.

"You'll probably bleed to death before the fire gets to you, but just to be on the safe side."

Richard kicked Hans as hard as he could with his boot, knocking his younger brother out cold. Anna watched from the doorway as Hans's body went limp. Richard then ushered her outside, pointing the gun at her head.

"Don't even think about running," he warned. "If you take one step without me telling you too, you'll get a bullet to the head."

Anna knew that he was serious; she'd seen his handiwork. Richard wasn't kidding around. But she had to get away somehow. There were people on the other side of the island. If she could get to them before Richard did, she could warn them, and hopefully put an end to Richard's rampage. But she had to ditch Richard first, and quick, there was no telling what the man would do next.

Anna watched as Richard crept closer to her, pointing the barrel of his gun directly in her face. "Now move. That way," he commanded, nodding his head to the left. "Let's go have some fun."

Anna did as she was told, knowing full well that this could not end well. As they left the area, Anna took one last look behind her to see the log cabin on fire. There was no way Hans would survive that. Even though she hated him, Anna couldn't help but pity the man who was responsible for this whole thing to begin with. He deserved to be punished alright, but not like this. This wasn't justice. This was evil.

* * *

 **A/N: Part one of the finale. I thought I'd split it up into two parts, just to keep the suspense going. By the way, I did a little research into the history of matches, and it turns out, that the first friction match was invented in 1826 by British chemist, John Walker. Since "Frozen" takes place in the 1840s, I thought it would be historically accurate for Richard to use a friction match.**


	19. Redemption

**Chapter 19:**

 **Redemption**

 **A/N: Part 2 of the climatic chapter! But rest assured, it's not the end of the story just yet. There's still more to come.**

* * *

When Hans came to, he immediately smelt the smoke coming from the fire. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his shoulder was too great. All around him flames burned wildly, slowly engulfing the cabin in an inferno. The last thing he remembered was Richard knocking him unconscious. Richard! He must have started the fire! But where was Anna! Hans looked around the cabin and saw no sign of the princess. Hopefully she got out OK, but where was she now? Richard had revealed himself to be a cold blooded murderer, who had tried to rape Queen Elsa, and take over the kingdom. And now he was here on the island, plotting his next dastardly move, whatever that was.

He knew that as long as Richard was here, Anna was in trouble. He had to be stopped! Hans tried to sit up again, ignoring the pain that shot throughout his body. He had no idea a gunshot would hurt so much. When he got to his feet, he saw that he was surrounded by flames. There was no clear way out, he was trapped! Hans held his breath, trying to avoid breathing in more smoke than he already had. He would surely die if he didn't get out now. Spotting the door across the other side of the room, blocked by flames, Hans knew that it was now or never. It would hurt for sure, but there was nothing he could do about that. It was either a minute or two of pain, or burning to a crisp in an even longer amount of time. Gritting his teeth, Hans charged through the fire, and forced all of his weight onto the door, knocking it straight off its hinges.

Hans fell to the ground with a loud thud. He saw that his clothes were on fire, and quickly rolled over to extinguish them. Out of the woods came a crew member from Richard's ship. Upon seeing Hans, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Prince Hans! Oh my God! Prince Hans, you're alive!" He rushed to the prince's side, examining his wound. "How long have you been here? What happened?"

"No time to explain," Hans said through gritted teeth. "Richard shot me, and he's taken Princess Anna somewhere on the island. We have to get to him!

"Princess Anna! She's alive too!" the crew member cried.

"Yes, and we need to go after them now!" Hans shouted back.

"Hold on there, you're in no condition to go chasing down people," the crew member said, looking at his shoulder wound. "Let us handle this."

"Look, just give me your pistol, and I'll take care of it!" Hans tried to reason. "He's my brother!"

The crew member didn't bother to argue with him. He could see the fierce look of determination in Hans' eyes. Even though he was fully aware of what the prince had done in the past, something about him seemed…different. He complied with Hans's wish, and gave him his pistol.

"Go get the rest of the crew, bring your rifles…we're might need them."

"What about you?"

"I'm going after Richard," Hans hissed, looking up at the mountain.

* * *

Anna tried to keep her composure as Richard led her up the mountain. He had one arm wrapped around her neck, and the other pointing the gun at her head. She had to lose him, before the unthinkable happened!

"Quite the pretty island, isn't it?" Richard asked. "Cost me a fortune, but I think it was worth it. You know I commend you for not making this harder than it has to be, Princess Anna. Unlike your sister, you know when to submit to man when commanded to. Don't worry, I'll make sure your last day on Earth is worth it…for the both of us."

He smiled wickedly, breathing against Anna's ear. As they neared the top of the mountain, Anna knew that now was her chance. She pushed her head down, and bit as hard as she could into Richard's arm, causing him to let go of her.

"AH! You bitch!" He yelled. Knowing that it was now or never, Anna sprinted as hard as she could up the mountain, taking a look back every now and then to keep an eye on Richard.

Richard fired several shots at Anna, but every shot missed. It was hard to hit a moving target.

He fired another shot, which came dangerously close to Anna's head. The princess let out a loud shriek, and started to run faster, concentrating on losing Richard. Maybe she could climb down the mountain on the other side!

When she arrived at the top, she looked down over the cliff, and saw that that plan was far from doable. It was too high up, and climbing down would be too risky. She might fall to her death!

Taking a few steps back, she turned when she heard the sound of another person approaching. There Richard stood, gun in hand, chuckling softly to himself.

"Well, you didn't get very far, now did you?" he asked teasingly. "Get down on the ground, now!

Anna knew that she had no choice. She knelt down on the ground, and held her hands in the air. This was it. It was over. Richard threw the gun down, and pounced onto her, causing her head to hit against the rocks nearby. Anna closed her eyes tightly, unable to witness the vile act that was about to occur. She felt Richard rip off her dress, fondling her breasts as he kissed the nape of her neck.

"Not as good as the Snow Queen, but it'll do," he snickered.

Anna turned her head away, trying to avoid his lips touching her face. Richard grew impatient, and punched her as hard as he could in the face. The impact of the blow was so powerful, Anna felt her whole head spin. Blood rushed to her head, causing her to become dizzy. Richard continued to fondle her, straddling his hips against her thighs.

"Let's turn it up a notch," he said, cruelly.

But before he could remove Anna's undergarments, he heard the sound of a gun cocking right behind him.

"Touch her one more time, and I'll blow your brains out!" said the voice.

Richard slowly turned around and came face to face with the barrel of a pistol, wielded by Hans. His finger was on the trigger, ready to fire at any time.

"Stand up!" Hans ordered.

Richard slowly stood up, smiling viciously as he did so. Even with a gun in his face, Richard was still the cocky bastard he always was.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Pull the trigger, little brother. You've already committed enough crimes to send you away forever, so why not add murder to the list?"

"No, Richard. I'm not like you. I'm not a murderer. You're going to pay for your crimes, just like I am. We're going to go down this mountain, turn ourselves in, and take Princess Anna back home where she belongs."

Richard held up his hands in defeat. "Well, you got me, little brother. It seems that the jig is up, and there's nothing more I can do. But before we go, there's something I want to ask you."

"What?"

"Didn't dad ever teach you about counter attacks against a weapon?" Richard grabbed Hans's arm, trying to pry the pistol from his hand. Hans was so busy focusing on keeping the gun from Richard, that he didn't see him kick him in the gut with enough force to knock him backward. The gun fell out of his hand, and skitted off the cliff. With his only weapon now gone, Hans used the only thing he could use to defend himself with: his fists. The two men wrestled on the ground, Richard on top, Hans on the bottom. Richard wrapped his hands around Han's neck, squeezing with all his might. Hans gasped for air as he tried to pry Richard's hands off of him. Richard's grip tightened with every passing second, and Hans grew closer to death. With the last bit of strength he had left, Hans head-butted Richard, causing him to stumble backward. Hans took the opportunity to pounce on Richard, and began to beat him relentlessly. Anna watched in horror as Hans pounded his fists against his brother's face, blood spewing from it like a fountain.

Reeling his fist back again, Hans laid another crushing blow to Richard's head, knocking him out instantly.

With his brother subdued, Hans turned back towards Anna, who was now standing a few feet away from Richard's unconscious body. The prince looked at the princess in the eye, thinking of how to best respond to the situation at hand.

"I…can explain," he softly spoke. He took her by the hand and led her to the edge of the cliff. The two looked down at the waves crashing against the rocks.

"I should have told you about the rowboat, Anna. But I didn't. I was selfish. You're right, you could be back in Arendelle with your sister right now if it wasn't for me. Once again, I hurt you in some way. I deserve whatever happens to me, Anna. I'm a despicable person, and there's nothing I can do that will ever change that."

Anna couldn't respond. She was still recovering from all that just happened. Every word Hans said was true: he was a despicable person, and that's something that will never change. No matter what the situation was, at the end of the day, it was always about him.

Behind them, Hans heard the sound of a gun being cocked. He turned around, and saw Richard standing, pointing the gun at Anna.

"NO!" Hans cried, jumping in front of Anna. When the princess turned around, she saw Hans standing in front of her, and watched as Richard fired a single shot, hitting Hans directly in the chest.

Hans fell to his knees, holding his hands to his chest as the blood poured out, but Richard wasn't finished just yet. He aimed the gun at Hans's head, and pulled the trigger, but the weapon didn't fire. Richard was out of ammo!

Seizing this moment, Hans summoned ever last bit of strength he had in him, and charged toward his brother, throwing his hands outward, and pushing him off the cliff.

Anna watched as Richard fell to his death, screaming all the way down. She didn't see him land, but she was sure that he was dead. Nobody could survive a fall like that.

Hans fell onto his back, clutching his chest with both hands. By now they were soaked in blood, and he slowly started to lose consciousness.

"Anna, Anna!" he mumbled. He saw the princess kneeling beside him, placing her own hands on his chest in an effort to stop the bleeding.

"Hold on," he heard her say, before he closed his eyes, and everything faded to black.

* * *

 **A/N: I bet these cliffhangers are just killing you all. Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting for too long. Next chapter is the one you've all been waiting for: the reunion chapter! But the story isn't finished just yet. I've got a little more ground to cover, especially regarding Hans and Anna. I'm trying to make this end as unique as possible, something you won't see coming.**


	20. Reunion

Chapter 20:

Reunion

 **A/N: Enjoy!**

* * *

One afternoon, Elsa put the finishing touches on the latest trade agreement with the kingdom of Labraza. She had heard good things about the kingdom, and after several weeks of correspondence, she was positive that they could provide Arendelle with many important goods, such as the wood for the new orphanage. In the last letter that she received from Labraza, King Luke offered his deepest condolences on the death of Anna, and the recent attack from Richard. As much as Elsa hated to be reminded of these two things, she knew that the king meant well. She also learned that King Luke had a daughter named, Ruby. He told her that Ruby had been affiliated with the Westergards in the past, but hadn't had any contact with them for quite some time. Elsa advised King Luke to keep both Ruby and the rest of his kingdom away from the Southern Isles. After all that they had done to Arendelle, they weren't to be trusted. King Luke agreed, offering his full support to Arendelle should the Southern Isles ever try anything again.

As Elsa sealed the letter in the envelope, she looked out her window at the fjord. There docked at the mouth of the harbor was a ship, which carried the Southern Isles flag. Immediately Elsa grew concerned. She had specifically warned Richard, and wrote to his father as well, that no one from the Southern Isles was welcome in Arendelle. Judging by the sudden appearance of one of their ships, it would appear that the Westerguards ignored her warning. She could only imagine what conniving plan they had concocted this time around. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't good, and it was bound to hurt her and the people of Arendelle. Without thinking twice, she summoned the captain of the guards to round up his men, and go down to the dock and confront the trespassers. Elsa decided to go along with them. While she knew that her army could very well handle themselves, she thought that her presence might instill the fear of God in them, showing them that she meant business.

Elsa rode on horseback, following close behind Captain Stephen as he led an army of men toward the harbor. Elsa kept her calm, royal demeanor, not wanting to show the Westergards any fear whatsoever. She was going to really drive home the message this time around. She was going to let the people of the Southern Isles know that they are not welcome in Arendelle, and any further attempts to interact with the kingdom, would be seen as an act of war.

As they approached the ship, Elsa saw several Southern Isles guards standing on the dock. She noticed that they weren't armed, which was odd. If they were here to cause trouble surely they would have brought weapons.

When they arrived at the docks, Elsa dismounted her horse, and calmly walked over to the men.

"I thought I made it clear that Arendelle no longer wishes to have any correspondence with the Southern Isles," she stated firmly. After Prince Richard's recent assault, and the kidnapping of my sister, the Southern Isles has proven to be an untrustworthy country. I do not normally condone violence, but I will use it if it is necessary. However, I'm willing to give you all one last warning in order to prevent that from happening. I suggest you take it. Leave now, and no harm will come to your people. Refuse, and I will order my men to attack. The choice is yours."

Captain Stephen's army raised their rifles and crossbows, ready to spring into action the moment their queen gave the word. Elsa looked the men straight in the eye, not blinking once. Time was running out, now was the time the Southern Isles made their choice.

One of the men stepped forward. He bowed to Elsa, and softly spoke.

"Queen Elsa, we mean Arendelle no harm," he said. "We come to return something that belongs to you. Or someone I should say."

"What might that be?" Elsa asked directly, irritated that the man was wasting her time.

The men stepped back, and pointed toward the ramp of the ship. Elsa followed his gaze, and nearly fainted when she saw the person running down the ramp. Anna!

This wasn't real. It had to be a dream. Anna was dead, her body forever lost at sea.

"Elsa! Elsa!" she cried, tears pouring from her eyes.

Now she was hearing things too. Why must the universe be so cruel to her? As Anna approached Elsa, she wrapped her arms around her and squeezed tight. That's when Elsa realized that this was no dream or a mirage. Anna her sister was right in front of her, alive!

"Elsa, Elsa! I'm here, I'm here!" Anna cried into her sister's dress, letting the tours pour from her eyes. Elsa gently moved Anna's head to face her; gazing longingly into her teal eyes. Even though her hair and clothes were filthy, and she had many cuts and bruises, Elsa instantly recognized her sister. With that, the Snow Queen burst into tears of her own.

"My God, Anna! How…how are you alive?" After all this time," she stammered. "We thought you were dead!"

Anna could tell that the revelation of her survival came as quite the shock to Elsa. The poor woman could barely stand as she continued to gaze into Anna's eyes.

"It's OK, Elsa. Don't cry, I'm here, and I'm safe," Anna reassured.

"But…the boat was destroyed…everyone aboard drowned…how did you survive?"

"Elsa, I'll explain everything later, right now there's more important matters to attend too.

"What could that possibly be?" Anna, you're here, you're alive, and that's the only thing in the world that matters."

As if on cue, a large man came down the ramp, carrying a man wrapped in bloody blankets. At first Elsa didn't recognize who the man was, but when the large man brought the body in front of her, she lashed out in attack.

"You… you son of a bitch! I'm going to kill you!" Elsa screamed, hurling herself toward Hans's body. Snow started to pick up around the harbor, coming down faster with every second. Anna grabbed Elsa with all her might, trying to calm her sister down.

"Elsa, Elsa, please listen to me! I can explain everything later, just get him to the infirmary immediately.

"The infirmary? Anna have you lost your mind? This is the man who kidnapped you, the man who tried to kill me, the cause of all our problems! He belongs in a shallow grave, not the infirmary!"

"Elsa, for the love of God, listen to me, there's so much that I have to tell you. A lot has happened these past few months, and you need to hear it. Please, I know this looks awkward, and you have every right to be furious at Hans, but just get him to the infirmary so the doctors can treat his wounds. He's been hurt very badly! Please Elsa, listen to me! I'm your sister! Don't you trust me!"

Elsa continued to stare at Hans, lying helplessly in the man's arms. He was barely breathing, only minutes away from death. As much as Elsa wanted to jam an icicle through his twisted heart, she knew that Anna had a good reason for all of this. She trusted her sister, and agreed to her demands.

"Fine. Get him to the infirmary," Elsa ordered Captain Stephen. "I'll be along shortly."

Captain Stephen escorted the men of the Southern Isles to the castle, urging them to hurry along several times. Elsa continued to hold onto Anna, embracing the feeling of her skin against her. So long had she wanted to hold her sister, but couldn't because she feared of harming her. When she finally reunited with her, she could finally enjoy that feeling again, only to have it taken away only a year later. It would seem that fate didn't want the two sisters to be together, even though both of them really did. Elsa had finally given up on the fact that she would never see Anna again. She reluctantly accepted to return to that cold, and lonely place where she longed for her sister's love, but couldn't have it.

And now, here she was, in her arms once again, this time for good. Elsa squeezed tight to her sister, not wanting to let go of her for a second. There was no way in hell she would lose her again…not after all that has happened. She would die if anything were to happen to Anna again. The pain would be too much to bear. Elsa was a strong woman, but she was only human, and a human could only take so much heartache in one lifetime. But that didn't matter now. Anna was alive, and here in her arms. She could feel the touch of her skin, see the liveliness in her eyes, and most of all, she could hold her again, something that she never took for granted, and never will.

 _A few days later._

When Hans opened his eyes, he looked around the room, confused as to where he was. Was this heaven? If so, then he had to say it looked pretty nice. The room was filled with many beds, each with their own dresser. The walls were painted light blue, and were adorned with many pictures. He could feel the sunlight coming from the window behind him, basking his skin in a ray of light. Hans shifted in his bed, trying to get a better view of his surroundings. He found that the slightest movement sent a shock of pain throughout his body.

Looking at his right arm, he saw that it was heavily bandaged as was his chest. Very gently, he ran his fingers across the bandages, wondering who had put them there. As he continued to examine himself, he didn't notice someone enter the room, and walk towards him.

"Ah! You're awake!" the voice said.

Hans looked up, and was stunned to see Queen Elsa standing by his bedside.

"Quite the close call you had," she said. "The doctor said that the bullet missed your heart by just a few inches. We honestly thought that you weren't going to make it. Fortunately, we have excellent physicians here in Arendelle."

Hans didn't respond. He continued to look at Elsa, still wondering if this was all just a dream. Elsa noticed his concern, and sat down on the bed beside him.

"Quite the adventure you've had, Hans," she said. "I bet your wondering why and how you're here in Arendelle now."

"I'm in Arendelle?" Hans asked in disbelief.

Elsa nodded. You arrived a few days ago actually. Since then, we've been treating your wounds here in the infirmary."

Hans was baffled at what he was hearing, and even more so by the calm demeanor Elsa presented towards him. Didn't she know that he was the one who kidnapped Anna?

"Why are you doing this? He asked. "Why are you helping me, especially after all that I've done?"

"It wasn't my idea to keep you alive," Elsa stated firmly. "You can thank my sister for that one."

"Anna?"

Elsa nodded. "When she arrived back in Arendelle, she told me all about the past two months she spent with you on the island. The island that was your brother Richard's I should say. She told me how you saved her life several times. Once from a cougar, and the other from your vile brother. Now I thought this was very interesting, seeing as how you were the one to put her in harm's way to begin with. I must ask you: why did you do it? Why did you help my sister? Was it because you knew that your plan to hold her for ransom had failed? Or was it something else?"

Hans decided that he might as well tell Elsa the truth. He knew that it wouldn't save him, and quite frankly, he didn't care. Elsa deserved to know the truth.

"I've done some terrible things to the two of you," he said. "Things that are unforgivable. But I'm not asking for forgiveness, because I know that I don't deserve it. Over the past two months, I got to know your sister more. I got to see just who she really is on the inside: A kind, gentle, confident, and optimistic woman who cares for many people, especially you. You were what kept her going, what made her determined to get back home to you. When I saw the devotion that she had for you, I began to feel remorse for what I'd done for the first time in my life. I saw just how evil my actions truly were. I separated two sisters, who had already spent most of their lives apart, all to fulfill some selfish goal. But there's more." Hans stopped talking, taking a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"I grew to love your sister. I mean truly love her. Before I was only using her for my own selfish purposes, but the more time I spent with her on the island, the more I fell in love with her. I realized what I fool I had been: to take advantage of someone so sweet and innocent. I had my chance with Anna, but I blew it. After I poured my soul out to her, apologizing for my actions, she actually forgave me. I couldn't believe it. After everything that I had done, Anna was willing to start fresh with me. How?"

Elsa smiled. "Anna has a big heart," she explained.

"Indeed. I saw that in that moment. I saw just what a wonderful person Anna is, and what a despicable person I was. I'm just as bad as Richard."

"Hans, it's true that you've done some terrible things. Things that I will probably never forgive you for. But I know that you weren't always like this. People aren't born bad, there are outside forces that influence them. And I think I know what influenced you."

Hans looked into Elsa's eyes; he could tell that she was serious.

"You and your father never really got along, did you?" she asked.

"That's putting it kindly," Hans scoffed.

"Why do you think he treated you this way?"

"Hell if I know. I always wondered that myself. He and the rest of my brothers have treated me like dirt all my life. The only person who ever truly loved me was my mother. But she's gone, so now I have nobody who loves me."

For the first time in her life, Elsa pitied Hans. On the outside he appeared to be a cold, calculating person, but on the inside, he was just a man psychologically wounded from many years of neglect and abuse. King Daniel, and his brothers were definitely responsible for making Hans into the man he is today, but nonetheless, that didn't excuse his actions.

"Hans, what your father and brothers did to you was awful, and I'm truly sorry that it happened. But you don't have to let bad experiences mold you into something ugly. If anything, you should use them to make you stronger. Look at Anna and me; we had a terrible childhood. Growing up without each other, wanting nothing more than to be together, but we didn't let it destroy us. Even after thirteen years, Anna remained the happy-go-lucky girl that she always was. Even I still possessed the qualities I had as a child. I just kept them buried deep down. I realized that I was letting fear control my life, and that was wrong…so very wrong. I learned that love was the key to controlling my powers, and that I didn't have to let fear rule my life anymore. I knew that the past is in the past, and that's all there is to it. You have to focus on the here and now, and look to the future. Don't worry about what happened yesterday. It's behind you, and it will always be behind you. You can't change it, but you can learn from your mistakes. Do you understand?"

Hans shivered at Elsa's words. They rang in his ears like a thousand bells. Every word she said was true. Instead of overcoming the obstacles in his path, he let them consume him, until it transformed him into something ugly. The same fate had befallen Elsa, but her outcome was much different than his. After overcoming her fears, Elsa took control of her life, and became the best person she could be. If only he would have realized this sooner. Then maybe, just maybe, he and Anna would be together.

"I've arranged for a ship to take you back to the Southern Isles in the morning," Elsa said, changing her tone of voice. She was much sterner now.

"I will personally escort you home, and hand you over to your father. He is already aware of your survival, and of your current whereabouts. I would like to speak to him face to face before I return to Arendelle."

"As for your punishment, after much consideration, I have decided to pardon you for your crimes."

Hans looked up in shock. There was no way this was happening.

"But….Your Majesty…I"

Elsa held up a hand. "Let me finish, please."

"I will pardon you for your crimes on three conditions. One: You are never to set foot in Arendelle ever again. Two: You are to cease contact with Anna as well as never see her again. You've done enough damage to her for one lifetime, and I will see to it that you hurt her no more."

"What's the third condition?" Hans asked, already dreading what it might be.

"I will reveal that tomorrow when you return to the Southern Isles," Elsa said.

Hans opened his mouth to argue, but he quickly realized that it was best that he didn't say anything.

"For now, rest. I will come get you in the morning."

As Elsa started to leave the room, Hans finally summoned the courage to speak to the queen.

"Queen Elsa!" he called.

Elsa turned around, eyeing him curiously.

"Yes, Prince Hans?"

"Could I please just see Anna for one last time?"

His request was simple, but at the same time it was overwhelming. For a minute, it was stone silent in the infirmary as Hans waited to hear Elsa's response to his request. He would understand if she said no, but a part of him hoped that she would say otherwise.

"I'll think about it," Elsa said softly, before turning and leaving the room.

After she left, Hans fell back onto the bed, crying heavily. He wished that they would have let him die.

* * *

 **A/N: That was a fun chapter to write, especially the little heart to heart between Hans and Elsa. Will Elsa grant Hans his wish to see Anna again? What is the third condition to Elsa's pardoning of Hans? And what are Anna's thoughts about the thirteenth prince after this whole ordeal? Stay tuned.**

 **PS: Sorry for the lack of Kristanna, I promise to include that in the next chapter.**


	21. A New Beginning

Chapter 21:

A New Beginning

 **A/N: At long last, the final chapter of our story. Enjoy!**

* * *

True to her word, Elsa had a ship prepared to set sail for the Southern Isles early the next morning. Before they left, Hans was given a haircut, and good shave, along with a new set of clothes to wear. Elsa still didn't trust the prince entirely, so she instructed the guards to lead him onto the ship with his hands bound with rope. She wasn't going to risk any more unpleasantness.

Since Anna's return, Kristoff had never left her side. The ice harvester followed her everywhere, fearing that he might lose her again. Anna was overjoyed to see him again, and made sure to tell him just how much she loved him. The two months they had been apart only further strengthened their relationship. On the morning of their departure, Kristoff and Anna stood on the deck watching the crew prepare the ship for sailing. As they watched a man bring aboard a large crate, they noticed two guards coming up the ramp from behind. In the middle of them was Hans; his hands bound in rope. Upon seeing the Southern Isle prince, Kristoff's eyes lit up with rage. He clenched his fists together, and started to march towards him, but Anna caught him just before he could get to Hans.

"Kristoff, it's not worth it," she advised.

As much as Kristoff wanted to beat the living daylights out of the prince who had caused Anna so much harm, he knew that she was right. After today, he would be gone, and Arendelle would never have to worry about him ever again. But one thing still troubled him.

"I can't believe your sister pardoned that bastard," he said.

"It's surprising, I know. But I trust that she had good reasons for doing so," Anna said.

"What reasons could she possibly have? The guy kidnapped you Anna!" Kristoff cried.

"Yes, but he did other things as well, Kristoff. Even though Hans was the reason I ended up on that island in the first place, I never would have survived without him. I know it sounds strange, but it's the truth. He kept me alive."

Kristoff snorted. He knew Anna meant well, but Hans didn't deserve any sympathy whatsoever. "Still, he tried to hurt you, and that's enough reason for me to hate him."

"I don't blame you. And don't think for a minute that I'm being soft on him. Hans deserves everything that he gets. Even after he saved my life, it doesn't change what he did in the past."

A part of Anna meant what she had told Kristoff. Nothing that Hans could ever do would change what he tried to do to the sisters of Arendelle, but still, another part of her believed that he had changed during their time on the island together. He truly sounded remorseful, and even from Hans's standards that was impressive. Nonetheless, she knew that it was for the best that they never see each other again. Whether he changed or not, the past still remained, and Hans was a grim reminder of it all.

When they arrived in the Southern Isles, they were escorted into King Daniel's chambers. Elsa led the way, with Anna, Kristoff, and the two guards holding Hans behind them. Upon entering the room, King Daniel walked over to greet his guests from Arendelle.

"Welcome, Queen Elsa. I am so sorry that you had to go out of your way to bring this monster back home. We would have been more than happy to take him off your hands ourselves," King Daniel said.

"That's alright, King Daniel. It was no trouble at all. Besides, I need to talk to about Hans."

"I know, he's a disgrace to the entire country. I assure you Queen Elsa, that he will never see the light of day again. He'll be locked away in the dungeons for the rest of his days. I will personally see to it that this monster never harms anyone ever again."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I don't think that's necessary," Elsa said.

"What do you mean?" King Daniel asked, confused at the Snow Queen's statement.

"I mean that there is no need to punish Hans, because I am pardoning him for his crimes."

A loud gasp filled the entire room; King Daniel's being the loudest. Everyone turned their attention to the thirteenth prince, bound with rope, and hanging his head low. Did Queen Elsa really say she was going to pardon him?

"Queen Elsa, I know that you are a very compassionate ruler, but do you realize what this man has done to you? He kidnapped your sister, and for two months terrorized her on a desert island, all because his plans to hold her for ransom failed. God knows what he did to her. Hans doesn't deserve any pity whatsoever. He is a menace, and as such, he shall be severely punished for his actions. Guards, take the prisoner down to the dungeons. I want you to give him forty lashes each."

The guards started to pull Hans towards the door, when Elsa spoke up.

"That won't be necessary, King Daniel" she said firmly. "Now may you please let me finish speaking?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," King Daniel obliged.

"Thank you. As I said before, I have decided to pardon Hans for his crimes against Arendelle. However, this pardon does come with conditions, and its effectiveness depends on whether or not the conditions are upheld. There are three conditions to this particular pardon. One: Hans may never set foot in Arendelle ever again. Two: He shall never contact Princess Anna ever again. And the third condition, the one I believe is the most important, depends entirely upon you."

"Me? But I didn't do anything wrong!" King Daniel cried, disgusted at what Elsa was saying.

"I wouldn't say that," she said. "You're completely innocent in this whole story, King Daniel. When I first met you, I saw what kind of a man you are, and your attitude towards Hans. I was so disgusted at it, that for a moment, I actually pitied the man who had caused so much pain to my sister and I. The way you talked about Hans as if he were some sort of disease that you couldn't get rid of, let me see just how you really thought about him. As I told Hans yesterday, nobody is born evil. There are outside factors that contribute into making a person who they turn out to be in the end. I don't doubt that Hans was once a kind, and considerate person, but something happened to him that made him stray away from all that. And that something is you, and the rest of your sons."

Anna told me what Hans had told her about his childhood, and how you and his siblings constantly tormented him, never once showing him the love that he so desperately needed. Hans only had one person in his life that he thought truly loved him: his mother. Sadly, she died when he was still very young. With the only person who ever loved him gone, and the rest of you tormenting him constantly, slowly, but surely, Hans transformed into the monster that he is known as today. This by no means excuses Hans's actions. We all have choices to make in life, and Hans chose to do this wicked things. And because he committed such heinous acts, I will never truly forgive him. But due to the circumstances of all that has occurred, namely Hans saving Anna from the wrath of Prince Richard, I've decided to show him mercy.

"But Queen Elsa, Hans murdered Richard! My eldest son! How could I possible forgive him for that?"

"I understand how you feel, King Daniel," Elsa replied, remaining calm. "And I'm sorry for your loss. "But Richard was a despicable human being. He tried to rape me, my sister, and tried to kill her as well. If Hans hadn't been on that mountaintop, Richard might have succeeded in his sick plans. Believe me, it feels strange to thank the man who put Anna in this whole situation to begin with, but without him, Anna might not be here today."

The Snow Queen flashed Anna a big smile; showing just how happy she was that she had returned.

"Now as for the third condition," Elsa began. "I thought long and hard about this, and I've decided that the third condition of the pardon will depend entirely on you and the rest of your family. I want you to give Hans the proper love and respect that he was denied all these years. I want you to treat him like you would the rest of your children, let him know how much you love him, and help him when he needs it. If you fulfill these three conditions, then the pardon will stand firm. If you or Hans violate these conditions, then the pardon will be nullified, and I'll have no choice but take things into my own hands. Do you accept these terms and conditions, King Daniel?"

King Daniel was baffled at what he just heard. He understood two of the conditions in Elsa's pardon, but could not begin to fathom why she would demand that he treat Hans with respect, especially after all that he's done.

"With all due respect, Queen Elsa, I must say that what you demand is simply ridiculous?" King Daniel confessed.

"You want me to love the son who not only murdered my eldest, but also brought dishonor upon the entire kingdom? I think you've lost it."

Elsa remained calm, keeping her eyes focused on King Daniel. She ignored his little insult, knowing that he just didn't understand.

"I'm serious, King Daniel. I want you to treat Hans like you would anyone else. It's because of you that became the man that he is today, but perhaps you can prevent further damage by giving him the love that he always wanted.

King Daniel looked at Hans. His youngest son had his head hung low so that no one could see his face. He could tell that Hans must feel ashamed for all that he'd done, and rightfully so. But if Queen Elsa demanded that he treat Hans with respect, how in the world was she going to make sure that he fulfilled that part of the pardon?"

"And how are you going to know whether or not I do what you ask?"

"Simple. I shall keep in regular contact with your advisors, guards, servants, and anyone closest to you. If any of them report that you have continued to treat Hans with contempt, then the pardon will be nullified, and I will personally see to it, that you never sit on that throne again."

"Are you threatening me, Queen Elsa?" King Daniel asked, amazed that the Snow Queen would actually say something to him.

"Indeed I am, King Daniel. You see, I don't have to offer you this pardon. Hans and Richard have already committed enough crimes against Arendelle for me to declare war on the Southern Isles. In all honesty, my conscious says that I should do just that. Fortunately for you, I am a compassionate woman. I will do anything in my power to avoid unnecessary violence. Just because I am capable of it, doesn't mean I will use it. Now, do you really want the blood of thousands of innocent men, women and children on your hands, all because you refused the generous deal I offered you?

King Daniel knew that Elsa had him beat. He cared deeply for his people, and he would never forgive himself if anything were to happen to them. Though he hated the deal that Elsa was offering him, he knew that he had to put the safety of his people above anything else. Hans may be a free man, and King Daniel may have to be kinder to him, but to protect the Southern Isles from the wrath of the Snow Queen, it was worth it.

"Fine. I accept your terms and conditions," King Daniel said softly. "Now please go."

Elsa could tell that King Daniel no longer wished to see them. She ordered the guards to untie Hans, and lead him out of the room. Once in the entrance hall, Elsa granted Hans's wish.

"You may speak to my sister privately if you wish," she said. "You have five minutes."

Elsa had informed Anna of Hans's wish the previous evening, and the princess told her that she should accept. It was after all the last time either of them would see each other. Hans led Anna to the parlor on the right, while Elsa and Kristoff remained outside. Once they were alone, Hans spoke.

"Your sister is a very kind ruler," he said.

"Yes she is. That's what I love about her," Anna affirmed.

"I just hope that my father upholds the conditions of the pardon."

"It's not just up to him, it's up to you as well," Anna reminded him.

"Of course, and I will do so. But before you go, I wanted to tell you once again just how sorry I am for everything. These past two months have taught me what a selfish, cruel, sadistic man I was. It feels strange to say this, but had we not been stranded together, I don't think I would have ever realized that. There's something about you, Anna that brought out the good in me. I saw how much you cared about Elsa, and Kristoff, and it made me see just how big of a heart you have. You remind me of my mother. She always saw the good in people, no matter who they were. I think that's why I fell in love with you as well. Your compassion is the greatest thing about you, Anna. Don't ever lose it. Spread your love and kindness to as many people as possible, show them how much you care! I hope Kristoff realizes just how lucky he is to have you. If only I would have known sooner, then maybe I would be the one to hold you in my arms. I know you probably think I'm still a monster, and I don't blame you. No matter what I do, you'll always think that. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, Anna, I can live without it. All I want is for you to know how sorry I truly am, and how much I care about you. We may never see each other again, but please understand this. That's all I ask."

Anna paused for a moment, thinking over Hans's words, and the best way to respond to them.

"Hans, thank you for your words, I appreciate that. But I must let you know that I do believe that you've changed. There were times when I doubted it. To be honest, I went back and forth quite a bit. But the moment you saved me from Richard, erased any doubt that still lingered in my mind. You were willing to die for the person who months earlier you hated with all your heart. That was….so profound…I can't even begin to describe to you how it felt. I knew right then and there that you were a changed man, and that you realized the error of your ways. And as much as it pains me to say it, I think it's best that we never see each other again. I may have forgiven you, but that doesn't change all that's happened. Before I go, I want you know that I'm proud of you.

"Proud of me? For what?"

"I'm proud that you realize just how wrong your actions were, and how determined you are to change from here on out. If there's one thing I could ask from you, Hans that would be it. Go on with your life, make the best of it, find someone you love, and show her how much she means to you. Be humble, be kind, be honest, but most of all, be the good person I know you can be. Remember what Robinson Crusoe said, "It's never too late to be wise."

Hans smiled. Oh how he wanted to pick her up in his arms, and hold her forever. But he knew that he couldn't. The least he could do was to honor Anna's wish, and be the best man he could be. And maybe, just maybe, one day they would see each other again. Most people would tell him that this was highly unlikely, but Hans chose to believe it anyway.

Before opening the door, Anna looked back at Hans—standing perfectly still with tears in his eyes. She knew that this was against her better judgement, but she didn't care. Anna ran up to the prince who she spent the last two months with, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Hans."

"Goodbye, Anna."

With that, the princess opened the door, and closed it behind her. Knowing it was the last time she would ever see Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.

On the journey home, Anna and Elsa took the time to bond with each other. They stood out on the deck, and watched as the ship sailed through the water, seeing fish every now and then. The two talked freely about what to do when they got back to Arendelle, and how the new trading agreement with the kingdom of Labraza.

"They sound nice," Anna commented.

"Yes, they are. As a matter of fact, King Luke is coming to Arendelle in a few days to finalize our trading agreement. You'll get to meet him then as well as his daughter Princess Ruby."

"Looking forward to it. You know how much I love meeting people."

Elsa laughed, patting Anna on the back. "Oh I know that alright."

For the next few minutes there was silence between the two sisters. Neither spoke as they both thought about Hans, and how different his life would be now. Elsa could tell that Anna was thinking about him as well.

"So how did your conversation with Hans go?"

"Well, I guess. I really don't want to talk about," Anna confessed.

"I understand. But if you ever need someone to talk too, I'm right here," Elsa offered.

Anna smiled. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna, pulling her in for a hug. "I love you, Anna," she said.

"I love you too, Elsa. So very much."

As the two sisters held each other, Kristoff walked over to join them, wrapping his own arms around. When the three broke apart, he looked into Anna's eyes. The two leaned forward, their lips meeting together, forming a perfect kiss. Elsa smiled the scene in front of her. Even though there had been so much tragedy in their lives, there was always a light at the end of the tunnel waiting for them. And for that, she couldn't be happier.

Hans knelt down beside Aubrey's grave, placing a bouquet of flowers onto it. Beside her, Richard lay buried, and despite his actions, Hans still took the time to visit him as well. He sat still for a while, staring at the headstones in front of him. Hans was so lost in his train of thought, that he didn't hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind him. The figure sat down beside him, and wrapped his arms around him.

"I miss her too, son," the man said.

Hans looked to his right, and saw his father sitting beside him.

"She was a wonderful lady," King Daniel said. "And she loved you with all her heart."

"I realize now what a failure I've been as a father towards you. Queen Elsa was right, I never gave you the love that you deserved. But I'm going to from here on out. I'm going be the father that you always wanted.

"Are you just doing this because Elsa told you too?" Hans asked, skeptical of his father's words.

"No son. I truly mean it. I'm sorry for all that I've done to you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have turned out the way you did. I take full responsibility for everything that has happened. And for that, I am truly sorry."

For the first time in his life, Hans saw his father cry. He had never imagined him doing so, always picturing him as the strong and masculine type. But here he was crying his eyes out in front of him. Hans could tell that his father meant what he said, there was no doubt in his mind. He hugged his father tightly, and whispered to him.

"I love you, dad."

"I love you too, son."

* * *

 **A/N: And there we have the final main chapter of our story, but it's not over just yet. There's still an epilogue to come. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the final main chapter! In the future, I'm thinking about writing a Kristelsa story. What do you all think? I've never done one before, but the concept sounds interesting. Keep in mind though, I still ship Kristanna. That is cannon after all.**


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue:

Five Years Later

* * *

One afternoon, the Royal Family spent the day relaxing in the palace garden, enjoying a nice picnic. Elsa had taken the time off from her busy schedule just for the occasion. She instructed the chefs to prepare a meal consisting of all their favorite foods, especially chocolate cake. Jacob, Kristoff and Anna's son, entertained the family with the many stories that he had read. The boy had inherited his love of reading from his Aunt, and always had his nose in some book or another. He was very bright for his age; excelling in all of his subjects. He was especially fond of writing, hoping to one day publish a book of his own. Anna and Kristoff supported their son full heartedly, always reminding him that he could do anything he set his mind too. As Jacob rattled off another one of his favorite stories, Kai approached the family with a letter in his hand.

"My apologies for disturbing you all, but this letter just arrived for Queen Elsa from the kingdom of Labraza," he said.

In the past five years, Arendelle had maintained a good relationship with the kingdom of Labraza. They frequently traded goods with each other, and kept in touch on a regular basis. Anna and Elsa were particularly fond of Princess Ruby, who was almost like a sister to them.

"Oh! I wonder if it's from Ruby!" Anna cried. Elsa took the letter from Kai, tore it open, and read its contents.

 _Dearest Queen Elsa of Arendelle,_

 _The kingdom of Labraza request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles and Princess Ruby of Labraza, on Saturday, the sixth of May at 10:00 A.M at the Grand Cathedral in the kingdom of Labraza. A reception is to follow shortly after in the palace. Please RSVP as soon as possible. We would love to have you in attendance._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Rudolph Kurtz, Senior Advisor to the King._

Elsa needed a moment to regain her composure as she finished reading the letter. She knew that Princess Ruby was seeing someone, but she never told them who. Of all the men in the world, Ruby had chosen Prince Hans to marry her. Images flashed through her head of Hans murdering Ruby in her sleep, making it look like an accident, and then seizing the throne for himself. No! That was the old Hans; he had changed, remember? Even so, Elsa still didn't trust him. For five years she and Anna hadn't heard a single word from Hans or anyone else from the Southern Isles. To be honest, she had almost forgotten about him. Anna noticed the look of concern on Elsa's face as she reread the letter.

"Elsa, what's it say?" she asked politely.

As much as Elsa wanted to avoid answering, she knew she couldn't lie to her sister.

"It's a wedding invitation," she calmly explained. "Princess Ruby is getting married."

Anna's eyes lit up with joy. She turned to Kristoff and Jacob who returned the smile, both clearly happy for Ruby.

"That's great!" Kristoff said. "Who's the lucky man?"

Elsa took a deep breath, and slowly replied. "Hans," she said.

Instantly Kristoff's happy expression turned into one of disgust. He too had not heard anything from the dastardly prince in years, but the name still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Hans! What is she thinking? Doesn't she know what he's done?" Kristoff cried.

"Who's Hans?" Jacob asked, curious to know why his father was angry all of a sudden.

"An old acquaintance, sweetie," Anna explained. "Why don't you go play with Olaf for a while? Mommy and Daddy need to talk to Auntie Elsa for a minute."

Jacob did as his mother suggested, and quickly ran off to find the snowman he was so fond of.

Once he was out of sight, the three adults continued their conversation.

"She's really getting married to Hans?" Anna asked, making sure she heard her sister correctly.

Elsa nodded. "See for yourself," she said, giving Anna the invitation.

The princess's mouth opened in awe as she ran her fingers over the words " _marriage of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles and Princess Ruby of Labraza."_

"Wow! Good for him! Ruby is a lovely woman!" Anna said.

"Yes, and that's what worries me," Elsa said. "Knowing what Hans is capable of, I'm afraid he might try to steal the throne from King Luke."

Anna understood why Elsa would be concerned. Even after five years, the history between the Arendelle sisters and Prince Hans was still very unpleasant. Nonetheless, Anna had forgiven Hans for his actions long ago. Though she knew that she could never see him again, she never once imagined that he would find his way into their lives in another manner.

"So are we going?" Anna asked.

"I don't think so, Anna. It's probably better that we didn't."

"I agree," Kristoff said.

"But Ruby is our friend! We have to be there to support her!" Anna protested.

"I understand that, Anna, and you know how much I love Ruby, but given the circumstances regarding the…groom I think it's best that we don't attend.

"Elsa, I know that you still harbor a grudge against Hans for all that he did, but it's been five years. He's probably a completely different person now! Especially after you pardoned him!"

"Nevertheless, I made it clear to him that I never want him in our lives again, Anna. He's caused far too much pain to us for me to allow him to associate with us."

"Please, Elsa, don't let Ruby's choice in a husband ruin your friendship with her. You mean a lot to her."

"Ruby means a lot to all of us, but this is just simply something I don't approve of. We are not going, and that is final."

"But…" Anna opened her mouth to argue, but one look at Elsa told her that it was a lost cause. She hung her head low, and turned to face Kristoff.

"I just want to be there for her," she said, teary-eyed.

"I know you do, Anna. But Elsa is right, it's for the best."

"So what are you going to do now? Shut out Ruby like you shut me out for thirteen years?" Anna screamed at Elsa.

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise. Anna had not mentioned their past in a long time.

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Anna, I'm just saying that we won't be attending the wedding," she explained.

"No. You're saying that you won't attend the wedding simply because of Hans. How do I know that you're not going to cut ties with Labraza as soon as they're married? I know how much you hate Hans, and that sounds like something you would do."

"Anna, I'm not saying that we cut ties with Labraza or Ruby for that matter, we just won't go to the wedding."

"Are you really going to let the past ruin the present?" Anna cried, incredulously. "What's done is done, get over it. Don't act like this one event will inspire me to get reacquainted with Hans! I made a choice never to pursue any kind of relationship with him ever again. Seeing him this one time won't kill me!"

"Anna, have you forgotten what that man did to you? What he did to us?" Elsa shot back fiercely.

"I'm well aware of that, Elsa. It's something I'll always remember. But it's in the past, and there is no use dwelling on it."

Elsa threw her hands in the air, sending a flurry of snowflakes in the process.

"Fine. We'll go if it makes you happy. Just remember, that this will be the only time you will see Prince Hans. One of the conditions of his pardon, if you recall, is to never contact you again. I'll write back to Ruby, specifically instructing her to keep him away from you during the entire event. If he so much as utters a single syllable to you, the pardon will be nullified."

Anna smiled. She was glad that Elsa reconsidered. "Thank you, Elsa. It'll mean so much to Ruby that we came."

"I know that. She's the main reason why I'm allowing us to go in the first place. If it weren't for our friendship, and your persistence, I wouldn't attend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a letter to respond too. Elsa stood up, and walked back to the palace. Along the way, she ran into Jacob and Olaf, who were playing tag. She smiled and waved at them as she entered the castle, leaving Kristoff and Anna alone on the picnic blanket.

"You sure this is a good idea?" he asked.

"Yes, Kristoff, I want to be there to support Ruby," Anna stated firmly.

"I understand that. I just would have thought you would also wanted to avoid Hans for the rest of your life as well."

"It's just one day, Kristoff. One day won't kill me."

The week quickly came and went, and before Anna knew it, she, Elsa, Kristoff and Jacob, were on a ship heading to the kingdom of Labraza. As they approached the harbor, Anna could see Ruby waiting for them by the docks, smiling and waving her hands all over. She hugged each member of the Royal Family tight the moment they stepped off the ship, thanking them again and again for coming.

Elsa looked around the harbor, keeping an eye out for Hans. She wanted to see as little of him as possible. Ruby arranged for them to stay in the palace for the evening, giving them the nicest rooms it had to offer. She wanted to spend more time with them, but had to get to bed early in preparation for the wedding tomorrow.

"Got to look my best for the happiest day of my life!" she said.

Early the next morning, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Jacob were up getting ready for the wedding. Anna loved weddings; and the wedding of her best friend was to be the best one yet. She had a new dress tailored just for the occasion as well as new suits for Kristoff and Jacob. As Kristoff finished tying Jacob's tie, Anna walked into their dressing room, admiring her husband and son.

"My, my, my, don't you two look handsome!" she said.

Kristoff and Jacob looked at each other and smiled. Jacob was a spitting image of his father.

"I look just like daddy!" Jacob cried.

"You sure do, sweetie. And you're just as cute as well" Anna said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Now come on, let's get going! It's almost 10:00."

The two hurried out of the room, and met up with Elsa at the foot of the stairs. From there, the three walked to the Grand Cathedral, taking their seats in the pews.

It was quite a turn out for a wedding, especially one in which the groom was a former criminal, but Elsa tried to put that in the back of her mind as the music started to play.

Up at the altar, along with the bishop, and his best man, was Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. He looked a bit different from the last time she saw him. His hair was longer, and he now had a goatee, which looked an awful lot like his late brother Richard's. He looked proud up there at the altar; dressed in a white coat and tie. One could not ignore the bright look in his eyes as he looked down the aisle, awaiting his bride.

Just then, the flower girl appeared, and slowly walked down the aisle, throwing flowers here and there.

Shortly after, two figures emerged. One was Ruby, dressed entirely in white as well, and King Luke, leading her down the aisle. Everyone in the pews stood and faced the two as they passed by. King Luke had a big smile; as well happy tears glistening in his eyes. When they arrived at the altar, he took a seat in the front pew along with King Daniel. The priest cleared his throat, and began the ceremony.

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together here in the sign of God-and in the face of this company to join together our fair Princess Ruby and Prince Hans in holy matrimony. Into this holy estate these two present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined—let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Silence followed, not a single person spoke a word, though Elsa was tempted too. She knew she had to show her support for Ruby, whether she approved of her marriage or not.

The priest then continued the ceremony, giving a few blessings and prayers before beginning the wedding vows.

"Do you, Prince Hans, take Princess Ruby to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

"I do" Hans stated firmly. "And do you, Princess Ruby, take Prince Hans to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

"I do" Ruby said, smiling brightly underneath her veil.

Hans's best man reached into his pocket and pulled out two rings, and handed one to Hans, and one to Ruby. The prince took Ruby's hand in his own, and spoke loud for all to hear. "You have been my best friend, mentor, playmate, confidant, and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible. You have made me a better person, as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live my life. So I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together." Anna felt a wave of passion overcome her as she watched as Hans slid the ring onto Ruby's finger. One look at the man was all it took to know that he truly meant what he said. He loved Ruby more than anything in the world, and she couldn't be happier for him.

Ruby gently took Hans's hand in her own, and spoke her own vows. "I promise to encourage your compassion, because that is what makes you unique and wonderful. I promise to nurture your dreams, because through them your soul shines. I promise to help shoulder our challenges, for there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together. Lastly, I promise you perfect love and perfect trust, for one lifetime with you could never be enough. This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things."

By now Anna had tears in her eyes. The love between Hans and Ruby was so powerful, it send a thousand chills across her body. She watched closely as the next events began to unfold, excited for what was coming up.

"And now, by the power vested in me by God, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the priest said.

Hans slowly lifted Ruby's veil. Closing their eyes, they embraced each other in a tender kiss, earning applause from the crowd. Anna beamed happily at the newlyweds, truly proud for Ruby. But she was even more proud of Hans; just by seeing him standing at the altar today, and saying his wedding vows, she knew that he had changed. He moved on with his life, and found someone worthwhile to share it with. Despite all that he had done, her happiness for the man soared skyward. She would never forget today. It was the day she truly saw the man that Hans had become, and she couldn't be prouder.

After the ceremony, the guests retreated to the dining hall where the reception was held. Jacob was very hungry, and quickly stuffed as much food as he could onto his plate. As he chowed down on a breadstick, Anna politely reminded him to remember his manners, and eat properly. Jacob nodded, and broke the breadstick in half, taking one bite at a time. Anna was overjoyed to hear Elsa's response the ceremony. She said that Hans surprised her with his words; she never would have imagined him to say something like that. "It was truly touching," she said. "I think he and Ruby are going to be very happy together."

"So do I," Anna agreed.

As they continued to eat their meal, Hans stood up from the table and gently tapped his glass of champagne to get everyone's attention. In an instant, everyone in the room turned their eyes to the newly wedded prince.

"Hello everyone, I just wanted to thank you all for coming today. It means a lot to us. Many years ago, I met this beautiful young woman at a party that my father was having. To be honest, when I first met her I thought that there was no way I could ever have a chance with someone as wonderful as her, but I was wrong. Ruby and I have so much in common, so much that you'd have to write a book just to list it all. There were many ups and downs throughout the years, and unfortunately we grew apart. Until five years ago, when I returned from my long voyage lost at sea, did I find the strength to renew our relationship. I don't think I could have ever done so, if it hadn't been for this experience. It taught me what it truly means to be a good person, and the power that love has on you. Therefore, a toast to all you fine people tonight, and all of the pleasant memories yet to come. Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses, sharing their own cheers, before finally taking a sip of their champagne. Afterwards, the reception went on as normal, but Anna wasn't ready to get back to eating just yet. The princess stood up, and tapped on her glass to get the audience's attention.

"Hello everyone, may I have your attention for just a minute?" she started. "I promise I won't be too long, I just wanted to give a toast to Prince Hans and Princess Ruby. Anyone can tell that the love you have for each other, and stronger than any force on earth. I've honestly never met a more perfect couple, and I doubt I ever will again. You two bring out the best in each other, and that alone is wonderful. So here's to the groom, a man who kept his head even when his heart was lost. Here's to the bride, who has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. May thy life be long and happy, thy cares and sorrows few, and the many friends around thee prove faithful, fond and true. May your voyage through life be as happy and as free, and as the dancing waves of the deep blue sea."

Everyone raised their glasses, drinking to Anna's surprising, but touching toast. After they finished, Anna sat back down. She looked across the room at the newly wedded couple. Hans was staring at her; smiling brightly. Anna smiled in return, knowing that he was happy at what she just said. And Anna meant every word of it too. Before her was not the man she once knew. It was someone different, someone stronger, more determined, more compassionate, and it filled her with pride to know that she was the reason for it all. Many would say that the two months Anna spent with Hans on a deserted island were a curse, but in reality, they were a blessing in disguise. She changed a man's life, and what better gift was there to give.

* * *

 **A/N: The end! Thank you all who reviewed this story. Your kind words mean so much to me, and I deeply appreciate everyone. Now that this story is done, I plan on continuing "Passionate Vengeance" the sequel to my other story "Say You Will." Feel free to check it out! But be sure to read "Say You Will" first. It'll make more sense this way. In addition to "Passionate Vengeance" a Kristelsa story is also on the horizon. I don't have the details yet, but once I finish PV and get everything organized, it'll be here. Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing!**


End file.
